The return of Gagan Ajit Singh and Kanwalpreet Singh to Indian squad for the eight-nation Hockey tournament, to be played at Amstelveen between August 14 and 21, should stem the rot in our attack and defence.Ever since Gagan Ajit was dropped after Athens Olympics, India have tried different permutations and combinations in the forward line but no one has been able to match his uncanny knack of converting half chances into goals inside the striking circle. Like Gagan Ajit, forwards Deepak Thakur and Prabhjot Singh were also left out of the team after Athens debacle but the duo, however, staged a come back for the two-Test Indo-French series.But with Gagan back in the squad, it is likely to add teeth to the attack. Another advantage for India would that he, with his speed and variety, can strike a good combination with the duo, who were were part of the team that won the Junior World Cup in October 2001 at Hobart. The trio were also part of Indian think-tank in all the major tourneys that followed the Australian event, including the Athens Olympics.In Gagan’s absence, India had tried various strikers like Tushar Khandekar, Hari Prasad, Sandeep Michael, Arjun Hallappa and Adam Sinclair to name a few. But the team sorely felt the need for a finisher who can penetrate the rival defence and score. Only Arjun Hallappa figures in the team while the rest have fallen out for one reason or another. In fact, Sandeep Michael, Adam Sinclair and Hari Prasad were not even considered to be the probables for the Amstelveen meet.Similarly, India had heavily relied on Dilip Tirkey, Harpal Singh and drag flicker Sandeep Singh in defence. Len Aiyappa and William Xalxo too were tried out in a couple of tourneys but none of them could make any difference to team’s fortunes.But with Kanwalpreet’s return, the pressure on Dilip and Harpal should ease considerably. Kanwalpreet along with Dilip and drag flick specialist Jugraj Singh made the Indian defence impregnable in 2002 and 2003 before Jugraj was injured. Known for his neat tackling and rasping hits, Kanwalpreet would not only add more strength in the defence but also give India the option to try out variations while taking penalty corners.How India fared without them• Oct 2004: lost the Indo-Pak series 2-4• Nov 2004: Drew the two-Test series against Spain 1-1• Dec 2004: Finished fourth in Champions Trophy, losing to hosts Pakistan in the third place play-off• 2005: Lost to lowly-placed France 1-0 in two-Test series• Finished fifth in six-nation Azlan Shah, beating Malaysia via golden goal in play-off
