Dhanraj recalled for Azlan Shah camp

Star forward Dhanraj Pillay, along with the seven other players who were rested for the Afro-Asian Games have been recalled for national camp before the Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia. Indian chief coach Rajinder Singh said 30 players will be at the camp in Delhi starting from December 5. He also added that the camp will be shifted to Hyderabad on December 13 in view of the floodlight there and the city’s climatic similarity to Kuala Lumpur.

The main focus of the camp, according to the coach, will be to find a replacement for the indisposed drag-flicker Jugraj Singh, who is undergoing treatment in the US. Talking about penalty corner specialist Len Ayyappa, who scored against Pakistan in the finals of the AAG, Rajinder said, ‘‘We are looking for a third full-back and a drag-flicker. Len has to improve his show as a defender to fit into the team. He is working at it but we need to finalise the slot before the Olympic qualifiers.’’

The coach’s concern is justified since the domestic circuit, which started in October, hasn’t thrown up any outstanding drag-flicker. But he did mention that Baljit Singh Dhillon, who scored a few goals in the Nehru Hockey tournament, would be tried at the camp. ‘‘Baljit has been there for a long time but since Jugraj was around we haven’t tried him in international tournaments,’’ he said. Besides, there is also drag-flicker Deedar Singh who too has been picked for the camp. But Deedar had two forgettable outings at the Champions Trophy and Asia Cup. The Azlan Shan tournament will be held from January 8 to 18.