Dilip, Sandeep look good to be back

The emergence of youth was deemed the cornerstone for India8217;s good run at the recent Sultan Azlan Shah tournament. That, however, might not remain the Indian Hockey...

The emergence of youth was deemed the cornerstone for India8217;s good run at the recent Sultan Azlan Shah tournament. That, however, might not remain the Indian Hockey Federation8217;s exact theme at the upcoming Champions Challenge Cup that is going to be held in Boom, Belgium, from June 23 to July 1.

If indications of the selectors are correct then this meet could see the return of some senior names such as Dilip Tirkey and Sandeep Singh into the side which will be announced tomorrow in Bangalore where the 32 probables have been attending a camp at the SAI centre since May 23.

8220;It is too early to say anything right now as the selection trials are tomorrow morning, but Dilip and Sandeep were not considered the last time simply because they did not attend the camp,8221; a senior national selector told The Indian Express.

However, this time both have attended the camp and it is also likely that they will be present in the trials on Saturday. 8220;They have attended the camp this time. Even Gagan Ajit Singh, who had also missed Ipoh because of the similar reasons was around. Sandeep Singh is looking fit, let8217;s see how he performs tomorrow,8221; said chief coach Joaquim Carvalho.

Although he did not commit to the two being included in the side, with coach Carvalho stating that the team8217;s defence at the Azlan Shah was quite worrying and that it was an area of concern, the two defenders8217; case is bolstered.

8220;Dilip is an excellent player, and if there is no competent full back in the camp then it is very hard to replace someone like him,8221; he added.

However, the selector also stated that the performances of some new players, like centre-halves Roshan Minz and Sardara Singh, and forward Bharat Chikkara in Ipoh cannot be ignored. To suddenly replace the core team that went to Malaysia is also not a thing that they are moving towards.

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8220;These players did exceptionally well in the tournament and it makes no sense to remove them now. However, I would say that a blend of youth and experience could be seen in the team for Belgium. There is a new boy called Damandeep Singh who is also an impressive attacker he also seems like a good prospect8221; he said.

Training matches in Dusseldorf

New Delhi: The Indian hockey team that will be announced on Saturday will undergo a 10-day training session in Germany before starting their campaign at the six-nation Champions Challenge tournament in Boom, Belgium, next month.

Coach Carvalho said that the team would play some practice games during the camp in Dusseldorf where they would be staying at a University. 8220;We will play some warm-up matches against four clubs during our ten-day stay at Dusseldorf before the Champions Challenge meet. The team will leave for Germany on June 10. The side will camp there till June 20,8221; he said.

8212; ENS