Sandeep Singh says he is ready to captain of India
Former captain and legendary drag flicker Sandeep Singh has expressed his interest in captaining the Indian national team once again. The Indian hockey team is facing severe crises these days regarding the selection of a new coach and captain.
Following the 16th Asian Games where India ended with a disappointing bronze medal, Captain Rajpal Singh tendered his resignation, and leveled a number of severe allegations against then Chief Coach, Jose Brasa. Rajpal Singh claimed that the Spanish chief
coach disgraced him and treated like a 12th player.
Hockey India, Sports Authority of India (SAI) and the Ministry of Sports has failed to resolve the captaincy and coaching issues so far. The contract of chief coach Jose Brasa was not extended for another term, while no new name has been announced for captaining
the squad since Rajpal Singh’s resignation.
Singh, the Penalty corner specialist, who was the Asian games highest goalscorer with eleven goals said, “I’m ready if the captaincy is given to me. I’m ready for the challenge. Young talent is there in the country, but these boys will only take up hockey
and get motivated if we seniors start winning tournaments at the international level.’’
Explaining the reasons for the Asiad defeat, Sandeep Singh was of the view that just five bad minutes against Malaysia cost them a spot in the final. He added that he is looking forward to a number of major tournaments coming up including the Sultan Azlan
Shah Cup and the London Olympics qualifiers.
Sandeep Singh, who made his international debut back in 2004 in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, is considered one of the best drag flickers in the Indian hockey squad. He represented his team in many international tournaments including the Azlan Shan Cup, the
Commonwealth Games, the World Cup and the Asian Games.
While commenting on the controversies within Indian hockey, Singh said, “We need a coach who is good at man-management. At this level, more than the game what we need is someone who can maintain a good balance and relationship with the players and the federation.
That is what has been lacking in the past and has led to controversies and misunderstanding.”
This is the first captaincy proposal since Rajpal Singh’s resignation, but the final decision will be taken by Hockey India (HI), which is struggling to pull the team out of the crises.
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