Arjun Halappa in the spotlight: Hockey News
The newly appointed captain for India’s National men’s hockey team, Arjun Halappa, now captures the eye of every native for bringing home the 20th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup for the third successive year, in order to complete the hat-trick.
With a group of less experienced squad members to lead, Halappa finds himself under the spotlight for proving his leadership abilities to the utmost in the upcoming event, starting from May 5-15 in Ipoh, Malaysia.
According to the captain, he is all ready to exercise his newly assigned role along with the fulfilment of the responsibility as a player for the team.
The 30-year-old mid-fielder talked to the press on April 19 after the selection committee announced the final 18-member squad that will leave for Kuala Lumpur on April 29, “As captain, I would guide the team and keep the youngsters together since some of
them are new. But the added responsibility doesn’t change me as a player. Once you step on the field, it is all about winning matches and we are geared up for a fresh season ahead.”
This squad got finalized subsequent to a two-day trial that was held in Delhi under the supervision of the national selectors.
Halappa believed that he foresees himself as a good leader by putting in all his efforts to face-off the world’s top class hockey teams like Great Britain, Australia and Pakistan with a new Indian team in the Malaysian hockey tournament next month.
He stated the fact that almost five of the national team’s players will not be accompanying him Azlan Cup namely Bharat Chikara, Sardara Singh, Rajpal Singh, Sandeep Singh and Tushar Khandker.
Unfortunately, Khandker, Rajpal and Chikara have not been added in the team because of their injuries still to heal up whereas Sardara and Sandeep Singh were intentionally ruled out of the selection list upon not attending the preparatory camp in Delhi and
playing for a Belgium league without an approval from Hockey India (HI).
Apart from all these, it was surprising to find out that one of a very experienced mid-fielder VS Vinaya could not make it among the selected players despite of showing off his best during the camp.
The most worrisome part of all the discussion was the lack of experienced team players to match up the international competition that will be found in the field against the seven contenders of the Azlan Cup.
The captain said, “Experience is something we will be short on during the tournament, but then it is a good opportunity for the younger lot, given that we are heading into a crucial year. It will add to their experience.”
However, Arjun believed that the young players must consider the Azlan Cup as an opportunity to build-up their hockey talent and experience that will help them ahead in the future tournaments.
Arjun Halappa was named as the team captain for the upcoming tournament on April 6 by the hockey officials of the country.
The midfielder from Air-India club was pleasantly shocked with the news on finally getting such an honourable role to head the Indian national hockey team for the annual tournament ahead.
He expressed his happiness by sharing the fact that he had been playing hockey for the country for the last decade and many would feel that it is quite late to receive the captaincy.
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