It is indeed a sorry state of Indian hockey that a seasoned player like Sardar Singh is dropped out of the side and Sreejesh is our new captain. It is not the right time to change the captain as he has been replaced by an inexperienced player. This is how we face humiliation in World of Hockey and face do or die games and face ignominy of being pushed out of the tournament with poor and lethargic show. The IHF felt that Sardar should take more responsibilities on the pitch and off it. He was not performing at the highest level and that is the reason for his ouster. Sardar had recently led India to a fifth place finish in the Six Nations Invitational Tournament in Valencia, Spain and it was a significant show. Similarly Chanu replaces Rani in the Women’s team and the change may see the team struggling in the early stages of Rio 2016 as there are 23 days left for the field events to start. Captaincy change may have direct impact on the team’s performance.
NIckil Maniam
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
