Former skipper Rajpal Singh failed to find a place in the squad while Arjun Halappa was included as standby for the Olympic Qualifiers starting in New Delhi on Feb 18. Rajpal, who led the team at the 2010 World Cup, was called for the final phase of the camp last month after recovering from an appendix operation.
As expected, Rajpal Singh was taken aback by his exclusion. “I am hurt and surprised. I don't know the reason behind my exclusion as I am fit and was looking forward to the Qualifiers,” he told HT.
The squad: Bharat Chhetri (captain), PR Sreejesh (goalkeepers); Sandeep Singh, VR Raghunath, Rupinderpal Singh (defenders); Sardar Singh (vice-captain), Manpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra, Ignace Tirkey, Kothajit Singh (midfielders); SV Sunil, Sarvanjit Singh, Shivendra Singh, Gurvinder Singh Chandi, Tushar Khandker, Danish Mujtaba, Yuvraj Walmiki, SK Uthappa (forwards).
Standbys: Manjeet Kullu (defender), VS Vinaya (midfielder), Arjun Halappa (midfielder), Chinglensana Singh (forward).