In a select class

Recently appointed India selector,Arjun Halappa scores in Air Indias semifinal win over Haryana

After successfully guiding Air India to the final of the senior national championships,Arjun Halappa takes his position in the VIP area of the Major Dhyanchand Stadium in Pimpri for the semifinal between Karnataka and Punjab. He keenly observes the action unfolding in front of him from the first minute to the last. And he isn’t merely studying his opponents for Monday’s title clash – it’s the bigger picture he is focussing on.

Halappa,who was named in the national selection committee last week by Hockey India,is already getting into the groove for his new job. “It’ll be a bit awkward in the beginning,” he says. “Earlier,when I was dropped from the national team,I used to get frustrated. Now,I have to get used to dropping players…”

Halappa is candid enough to admit that he was ‘shocked’ and ‘surprised’ when Hockey India secretary general Narinder Batra called him personally and offered the role. It wasn’t something he was even half expecting. He,in fact,was still nurturing the dream of making a return to the national team. “You never give up on that ambition,do you?” he asks. “I would be lying if I would say I wasn’t hoping to return to the national team. That’s why I kept on playing on the domestic circuit. But then I had to be realistic as well of my chances. When I say youngsters are the future,I have to accept the reality myself and move on,” says Halappa,who returns to the fold after being sidelined for more than a year following his association with World Series Hockey.

Young team

FROM bringing down the average age of the national squad to including young,fresh faces in administrative roles and among the support staff,Hockey India has laid special emphasis on youth. So it doesn’t come as a surprise that the sport’s national governing body has opted to appoint a fairly young selection committee. Headed by Olympian B P Govinda,the team includes Olympians Syed Ali,R P Singh,Gagan Ajit Singh,Halappa,former women’s skippers Savitri Purty,Mamta Kharab,Surinder Kaur and Saba Anjum. At 27,Anjum is the youngest on the panel.

Even before they’ve taken charge,questions have been raised over the capability of this young selection committee,citing their lack of experience. There has been objection to the inclusion of Halappa in particular,considering he is still an active player in the domestic circuit.

But the 32-year-old isn’t perturbed. “I will continue playing for my employers for at least two years more. Wearing two hats won’t be tough. I think I will be able to do justice to both jobs. I think it’s important to have young selections – I’m not saying this because I am a part of it. But we understand the psychology of the players and the demands of modern hockey better. First month or two will be spent learning about it,though,” says Halappa,whose first assignment will be to pick the team for Asia Cup,to be held in July.

For now,however,he is dreading the prospect of facing his old teammates. “There’ll be a lot of leg-pulling for sure when I visit the camp as a ‘selector.’ I am dreading that. But I hope my relationship with the players doesn’t change. It’ll be an interesting challenge,something I am really looking forward to,” he says.

Punjab in title clash

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Defending champion Punjab scored a facile 5-2 win over Karnataka to enter the final of the senior nationals at Major Dhyan Chand Polygrass Hockey Stadium. In the summit clash,Punjab will face Air India while Haryana will take on Karnataka in the third-fourth position play-off match.

Leading 3-2 at the half time,Punjab scored through Deepak Thakur (10th,22nd min),Gurjinder Singh (17th),Sarvanjit Singh (45th) and Vikramjit Singh (58th) while M K Muddappa (7th) and Nikkin Thimmaiah (29th) scored for Karnataka.

Earlier in the day,last year’s runners-up Air India defeated Haryana 7-3 in the first semifinal.