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Vinayak Padmadeo
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, January 15
It’s been over two weeks since Hockey India (HI) appointed former captain Sardar Singh as a national selector but he has not yet been “officially” informed about it. Sardar has been part of the 13-member selection committee, which is headed by former India captain BP Govinda, since January 1.
Sardar, who announced his retirement last year after he was dropped from the core group for the World Cup, said he had heard of his appointment from journalists but was yet to get an official communication about it.
“I have been told so yes,” Sardar told The Tribune on Tuesday. “I don’t think I have been officially intimated through mail but to be honest I have not checked it also. I have only heard about my appointment but I have not been officially told,” he added.
Hockey India president Mohammad Mushtaque Ahmad said he was included in the selection committee for some time now. “Yes, he is part of our selection committee and his name is there on our website too,” he said.
Right mix
Sardar, meanwhile, said that he would strive to convince the committee members to strike the right balance of youth and experience in the team.
Last year, the selectors, with inputs from high performance director David John and coach Sjoerd Marijne, focused on blooding young players at the cost of a few of the experienced players. Even after Harendra Singh became the coach, the trend continued, with Sardar left out of the core group for the World Cup.
Sardar said it was one of the areas which required a fresh look. “I will make sure that those talented players who have come into the core with their hard work… selections will happen on merit. Having said that, I cannot say that selections have been wrong since HI took over. But yes the selections will be done on merit because if you don’t pick deserving players for tournaments, it will break the player,” he said.
“As an athlete, whatever I have faced is an experience for me to take it forward. Hockey has given everything to me so the focus will be to select a strong team. Often we have seen that we have picked a few inexperienced players who struggle during crunch situations. So we have to ensure a proper mix of youth and experience in the team. Young players have to be eased into major tournaments as they may struggle in big matches. And honestly we are harming their progress by selecting them for big tournaments,” he added.
Age is only a number
Having had to sit out many times due to his ‘ageing legs’, Sardar said that a player’s performance should be the main focus for selection and not his age. “Jamie Dwyer, Mark Knowles played even when they were in their mid-30s. Age is not an issue, fitness and performance is. The key is to select someone on performance and not on his or her age,” he said.
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