In the year of major tournaments, former India hockey captain and midfielder Sardar Singh's future continues to be a matter of much debate. He was recalled after a long gap for the recently concluded Sultan Azlan Shah tournament. But he faced the axe soon after, when the team was picked for the Commonwealth Games to be held next month in Gold Coast, Australia.
It is also the year for the Asian Games and hockey World Cup—both far more important than the CWG, as far as India are concerned. But even as it appears that Sardar's future in the Indian team is uncertain, many former players and hockey experts believe there's still hope—that it ain't over until it is actually over. In fact, instead of unleashing the usual lament, the former players are supportive of what chief coach Sjoerd Marijne is trying out at the moment, considering the more prestigious events are yet to take place.
Speaking to THE WEEK, former Olympian Jagbir Singh said, “I still don't feel his days are over, as there has been no official announcement from Hockey India or the coach. The coach has been trying and testing different combinations in different tournaments so far. Sardar remains in the pool of 32 There are some promising players coming through and maybe the coach has some plans regarding that.”
Former India coach and player M.K. Kaushik, too, didn't find any fault with the overall selection of the team for the CWG 2018. He said, “If we go by present performance of Sardar, in comparison to the youngsters, his reaction time has been slightly slower. But this does not mean he's not good enough to be part of the main squad. He's a class player and maybe some more work on his fitness will sort the issue out.”
Marijne, while explaining Sardar's exclusion from the CWG squad, said yesterday, “We had competition for the midfield position. Manpreet picks himself but Sardar was the contender for the other slot. The players finally picked are more diverse than Sardar—all three of them (Chinglensana, Sunil and Vivek Sagar) can score, too. They are also good defenders in the midfield and fast as forwards. Besides they also play vertical. That's why we did not want Sardar. A squad of 24 will be announced after CWG and Sardar will be in it.”
Both Jagbir and Kaushik agree on one thing—having worked with Sardar in the Hockey League and Indian team respectively in the past, they vouch for his never-say-die attitude and fighting spirit. “For an iconic figure like Sardar, he doesn't need a tournament to be tried out. He has already proved himself. The quality he has and what he can offer to the team... he can do that in spite of youngsters coming up. He still has a lot of hockey left in him. I believe he is a fighter. I know him. If he puts his mind to improve, he can do it 200 per cent,” said Jagbir.
“In Azlan Shah, he was used as an attacking midfielder. One has to be fit to play in that position. If he had possibly been used as a right-in or played at the top, maybe he would have been more effective. He is a world-class player and the coach will have a clear role for him in his mind. He is a fighter and maybe he should also say which position he can possibly do better,” said Kaushik.
Jagbir feels that people are reading too much into Sardar's non-selection this time. “This (CWG) may not affect him so much. The coach has selected a balanced side for the CWG, keeping in mind the teams which will be playing in this competition. As for Marijne, there's no doubt that ultimately he would want the best team to be picked for the Hockey World Cup this year.”