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Hockey India names 40-member core probable group for national coaching camp

Bengaluru, May 1 (IANS) Hockey India on Thursday announced a refined 40-member core group for the ongoing Senior Men’s National Coaching Camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Centre in Bengaluru. The camp, which began on April 25, initially featured 54 probables. After a week of rigorous assessment, the squad has now been streamlined to 40 players based on recent performances and current form.

While 38 athletes from the previous core group have maintained their positions, two new players have earned their call-ups owing to standout performances in the 15th Senior Men’s National Championship and during the early days of the camp.

The goalkeeping unit remains unchanged, with Krishan B Pathak, Suraj Karkera, Pawan, and Mohith Honnenahalli Shashikumar continuing to guard the post.

In the defensive line, 10 players retain their place – Amit Rohidas, Varun Kumar, Jugraj Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Amandeep Lakra, Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Sanjay, Yashdeep Siwach and Mohammed Raheel Mouseen. A fresh face, Pratap Lakra from Hockey Madhya Pradesh, has been added to the group.

The midfield boasts a blend of youth and experience with Raj Kumar Pal, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh, Sumit, Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, Poovanna Chandura Boby, Rajinder Singh, Vishnu Kant Singh, Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad and Shamsher Singh included.

The forward line is bolstered by the presence of Gurjant Singh, Abhishek, Shilanand Lakra, Aditya Arjun Lalage, Boby Singh Dhami, Selvam Karthi, Sunil Jojo, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Sudeep Chirmako and Angad Bir Singh. Joining them is the promising Uttam Singh from UP Hockey.

Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Craig Fulton emphasised the significance of maintaining competitive intensity and praised the inclusivity of the selection process.

“The decision to trim the group to 40 was not easy, but it reflects the high standards we’re aiming for. The players have shown tremendous effort and focus. Those selected have proven themselves not only in national championships but also through their attitude in training,” Fulton said.

“This group gives us depth across all departments, and I’m particularly pleased with how the young players are stepping up and challenging the more experienced names. It’s a good sign ahead of our preparation phase for major upcoming tournaments,” he added.

–IANS

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Women’s World Cup: It’s about character now for India, says Hussain ahead of clash against England

New Delhi, Oct 17 (IANS) Former England captain Nasser Hussain believes the remainder of India’s campaign in the 2025 Women’s ODI World Cup, starting from their clash against England on Sunday, will now hinge on a psychological perspective on their character and ability to bounce back from consecutive defeats in Visakhapatnam.

India’s campaign in the ongoing World Cup is at a crucial juncture as they gear up for a must-win clash against England at the Holkar Stadium in Indore. Since 2020, India have failed to beat a SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand, Australia) side at global tournaments across both formats.

With the possibility of missing out on the semifinals looming large, the Harmanpreet Kaur-led side can’t afford to have a slip-up against Nat Sciver-Brunt & Co. Hussain also urged the Indian team to stay confident, reminding them of their ODI series win over England coming in July.

“I mean, mid-tournament, it’s not ideal. As a host, you’re going to have pressure all the way through. I think Harmanpreet, in her very first press conference, played it down and almost said, ‘We don’t feel the pressure, which is fine when you’re winning.”

“But when you start losing, then that pressure does mount because every game then suddenly becomes a must-win game. Unless you’re Australia, you are – I mean, Australia and England are the unbeaten sides in this tournament. You are going to lose – part of tournament cricket is losing the odd game and losing back-to-back games.”

“But it’s how you recover from that, and it’s important. So India have a lot of very good players on that side, and it’s about character now. Two games, they could have easily won both those games. It’s not like they’re playing bad cricket and losing games. They just lost games to two or three brilliant bits of cricket from the opposition.”

“So I think they need to keep their confidence up. Remember, they beat England in the summer, and just that realisation in a long tournament, this is over a month, you may have an average week, but you can recover from that,” Hussain told IANS in the JioStar Press Room show on Friday.

With the pitch in Indore likely to produce a run-fest, Hussain has also called for a more aggressive batting approach from India and urged them to go harder early on with the bat, like how they posted 330 against Australia in Visakhapatnam, though it went in vain.

“I felt in the first couple of games, they were just trying to get a par score, pack their batting, and just try to get a par score, and weren’t playing fearless cricket. I watched their game against Australia, and the way, Pratika, Smriti, and the top order went, because it was Australia, you realise you have to get a par score and a few more.”

“You realise you’re not going to plod to a score and beat Australia. When I watched India play Australia, actually, they put on a better performance. I know they lost the game, but they seem to put on a better performance and play fearless cricket because they know that’s the only way to beat in Australia. You cannot just be meek and quiet and get 230, as Bangladesh found last night, they will just knock that off.”

“So if India need to play England like they played against Australia, they need to go hard at them. If they’re going to play the extra batter and have some of those like Sneh Rana and Amanjot Kaur coming in at eight and nine, then you can go hard all the way through, and you can get an above-par score. Then your spinners and seamers will have a role to play.”

“So if there was one thing I would change, it is if you are going to play the extra batter, then go harder – use that extra batter and realise that there are two cricketers in this game that can get their side out of trouble down the order, and that is Deepti Sharma and Charlie Dean. In England, Charlie Dean does it. Real sort of crunch and clutch players. So go hard because you got batters down the order that can get you out of trouble,” he concluded.

Catch India vs England in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup India 2025 on October 19, at 3 pm, LIVE on JioHotstar and Star Sports Network

–IANS

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PGTI Tour: Yuvraj Sandhu, Veer Ahlawat among top contenders for Tata Open starting on Thursday

Jamshedpur, Dec 24 (IANS) The Professional Golf Tour of India (PGTI) on Wednesday announced the Tata Open golf tournament, which will be held in Jamshedpur from December 25 to 28. The four-day tournament will be hosted at the Beldih and Golmuri golf courses in Jamshedpur. The event offers a prize purse of Rs 2 crore and constitutes the last leg of the 2025 PGTI season.

The tournament will have a field of 126 professionals. The event will be played in the stroke-play format, consisting of four rounds of 18 holes each. The top 50 players and ties will make the cut after two rounds.

The format for the event is as follows: In round one, one half of the field will play its 18 holes at Beldih Golf Club while the other half of the field will play its 18 holes at the Golmuri Golf Club. In round two, both halves of the field will switch venues (those who played at Beldih in Round One play eighteen holes at Golmuri in round two, and vice-versa).

In rounds three and four, after the cut has been applied, the leading groups will tee off from Golmuri and play their first nine holes at Golmuri before moving to Beldih to play their second nine holes.

The tournament will feature some of the top Indian professionals, such as 2025 PGTI Order of Merit champion Yuvraj Sandhu, 2024 PGTI Order of Merit champion Veer Ahlawat, Shaurya Bhattacharya, Arjun Prasad, Manu Gandas, Angad Cheema, Om Prakash Chouhan (former champion), Ajeetesh Sandhu, Rashid Khan, Khalin Joshi, and Chikkarangappa, to name a few.

The top foreign players in the field are Sri Lankans N. Thangaraja and Mithun Perera (former champion), Bangladesh’s Md Siddikur Rahman and Jamal Hossain, Czech Republic’s Stepan Danek, American Koichiro Sato, Nepal’s Subash Tamang, and Uganda’s Joshua Seale.

Besides Om Prakash Chouhan and Mithun Perera, the other former Tata Open champions in the field are Mukesh Kumar, Shamim Khan, and Gurki Shergill. The local challenge will be led by professional Kurush Heerjee.

Amandeep Johl, CEO, PGTI, said, “The PGTI extends our sincere gratitude to Tata Steel for their unwavering commitment to Indian golf and for the revival of the Tata Open—one of the most iconic tournaments in the history of the PGTI. Its return as the season finale in 2025 has added a special significance to the calendar and has rightly made it one of the most eagerly-awaited events of the year.

“The Tata Open 2025 brings together a stellar field of India’s leading professionals competing for a handsome prize purse across the Beldih and Golmuri golf courses in Jamshedpur. The stage is set for a thrilling week of golf that promises to captivate fans on-site, as well as television and digital audiences across the country and overseas.

“With PGTI Rankings, playing cards for the next season, and pride on the line, the intensity is expected to reach its peak as players make one final push in a fitting climax to the season. We wish all the players the very best and look forward to an unforgettable Tata Open,” he said.

–IANS

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