Pak Plan: IHF picks

While veterans Pillay and Dhillon withdrew from the series because of their commitments to play for foreign clubs, Deepak Thakur opted out due to injury. Gagan Ajit pulled out due to personal reasons.

Prabhjot Singh, who had accused chief coach Gerhard Rach of not allowing to him to play for longer duration in matches in Athens, was not considered for selection since he was out of form, IHF president K P S Gill said here.

The Dilip Tirkey-led team was a 8220;right balance of youth and experience8221; he said but added he was not expecting it to do wonders in the four-match Test series in Pakistan, starting in Karachi on September 24. Gill said the federation was looking at the series as a part of the 8220;re-building8221; process for next year8217;s Champions Trophy.

8220;I don8217;t expect extraordinary results this time. We are in the process of building a team for the Champions Trophy in July 2005 and the Junior World Cup. We are trying to put younger players,8221; he said.

India, who failed to qualify for this year8217;s Champions Trophy to be held in December in Lahore after they finished seventh in the Athens Games, are to host the elite six-nation event next year.

In the absence of the regular forward-line, relatively new players Adam Sinclair and Arjun Halappa, both of whom went to Athens, will have the responsibility of leading the attack with Sandeep Michael, Tushar Khandekar, Hari Prasad and Girish Pimpale to support.

Gill said while Gagan Ajit and mid-fielder Bimal Lakra had made themselves unavailable for the series, the duo would be practising with the junior national team and could be considered for the Indian leg of the series which kicks off in the national capital on October 4.

The Indian team would play the Tests in Karachi Sep 24, Quetta Sep 27, Peshawar Sep 29 and Lahore Oct 1 before hosting the neighbours in a return series during October 4-10.

The opening tie of the return series will be played in New Delhi Oct 4 followed by matches in Chandigarh Oct 6, Amritsar Oct 8 and Hyderabad Oct 10.

The Team

: Adrian D Souza, Devesh Chau-han; Defenders: Dilip Tirkey, Sandeep Singh, Harpal Singh, William Xalxo; Midfielders: Viren Rasquinha, Vikram Pillay, Ignace Tirkey, V S Vin-ay, Prabodh Tirkey, Vivek Gupta; Forwards: Adam Sinclair, Arjun Halappa, Sandeep Michael, Tushar Khandekar, Hari Prasad, Girish Pimpale.