'Selectors are to be blamed for WC debacle'

Former hockey captain Mohammad Shahid slammed the selection committee for India's worst performance in the past three decades.

Former hockey captain Mohammad Shahid blamed the selection committee for India's "worst ever" performance of the past three decades in the World Cup.

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"The Indian Hockey Federation should seek explanation from the selection committee in view of the miserable performance of the boys in Germany," he told PTI here.

Taking a potshot at the selectors, Shahid said they could have picked even a squad of junior players to participate in the World Cup if the end result was to be so abysmal.

India lost four matches and drew one to finish last on the points table in Pool B of the ongoing premier competition in Monchengladbach.

Shahid, who formed a lethal pair with Zafar Iqbal in his playing days, said there were weaknesses galore in all departments of the game - whether it be defence, scoring goals or forcing penalty corners.

The former World Cupper also said the players looked stale and lacked killer instinct in all the five matches they played.

Shahid suggested a series of measures for improving the state of the national game in the country like building a large pool of players,and making them specialists in their respective crafts, and restructuring the game at the sub-junior and junior levels by organising various tournaments. More