Arjun Halappa says, senior players’ absence main reason behind humiliating finish: Hockey News
Arjun Halappa, the skipper of the Indian hockey team, declared the absence of experienced players as a major reason behind their humiliating defeat in the seven-nation Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, held in Malaysia.
However, the newly appointed captain was of the opinion that the youngsters performed brilliantly and really took the advantage of the international exposure. While speaking to the media after their return into the home country, the Indian hockey skipper
expressed disappointment saying that they should have achieved a better position.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Indians were the joint-winners with South Korea in the last edition of the Azlan Shah Cup, as the final game was not played due to heavy downpour. But, this time they finished the recent Azlan Shah Cup at the disappointing
sixth place,
In his views, the experienced players could boost the team in the stressing situation and that was the thing they missed in the crucial games. He maintained and said, “Experience counts in pressure situations and we missed out on it. We could not hold onto
the lead or consolidate the position after forging ahead in some of the matches. Simply put, we could not finish matches after being on top.”
Senior Indian players including Rajpal Singh, Sandeep Singh and Sardara Singh, were not part of the team in the invitational. This was the one of the major factors behind the team’s failure, he further explained.
It was the first event for Halappa as captain of the Indian team, who was replaced with Rajpal Singh. He opined that it was a great opportunity for the youngsters to assess their worth in the international hockey and learn new techniques from the world’s
best squads. In his views, such opportunities would help them to develop a good squad for the upcoming mega events.
Applauding the youngsters, Arjun Halappa stated that Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Rupinder Pal Singh rendered outstanding performances in the seven-nation tournament. Impressively, Rupinder Pal Singh scored seven goals in the tournament. S.V. Sunil has been
rejoined the squad, who missed numerous events due to injuries.
Commenting on the current situation, the skipper was of the view that he had evaluated their performances as a unit and as well as individually. Thus, they thought the players with a combination of modern techniques and experience will have to regain their
past glory, he added.
Halappa continued that they have the potential. However, they would have to do a lot of work to further improve the sport in the country. The seasoned mid-fielder advised the players to continue their efforts with hard-work and the regular practice. He re-iterated
that the team requires the services of senior players like Sandeep and Sardara Singh in the team.
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