U-19 team leave for UK tour without captain,keeper

Rahul and Arjun were at the NCA,playing for the North Zone when their team mates were completing the travel formalities and by the time they returned,the DDCA says,it was too late to furnish them.

DDCA under-19 selector Pawan Sharma says they had also made arrangements to get the boys to Delhi for a couple of days to get the formalities done,but North Zone coach Hari Singh declined them a permission to leave halfway through the camp.

“Rahul Bhardwaj and Arjun Gupta were in the NCA camp playing for North Zone in Bangalore. The tournament got over on 13th July and the boys took a flight back and made it to Delhi on 14th July. They applied for the visas on 14th while the rest of team had applied for the same on 25th June,” Sharma says,adding,“The DDCA requested Hari Singh (head coach,north zone) to send the players to Delhi on our expenses for furnishing the formalities for the visas but he refused to let them come.”

But not all hope is lost for the boys as DDCA is trying their best to get the travel formalities completed as soon as possible so that they join their team mates in England.

“We are trying to send them as soon as we can,depending on how soon we get the formalities done,” sports committee member P S Chauhan told the Sportline.

In their absence,the skippering duties will be taken care by vice-captain Milind Kumar and Unmukt Chand will keep.