Gagan Ajit left out of World Cup team

Junior World Cup-winning captain Gagan Ajit Singh and mid-fielder Bimal Lakra are among four players left out of the Indian team which will play in the 10th men's hockey World Cup, in Kuala Lumpur, from February 24 to March 4.

The other two who have been left out of the final 18-man squad, which is training in Ipoh, Malaysia, are mid-fielder Vikram Pillay and defender Len Ayyapa.

Pillay was also a member of the team which won the Junior World Cup at Hobart in October 2001. He and Gagan Ajit were also in the victorious Champions Challenge team.

The final squad was named on Friday after the selection committee meeting, which was chaired by Indian Hockey Federation cheif K P S Gill.

The team:
Goalkeepers: Jude Menezes, Devesh Chauhan.
Defenders: Dilip Tirkey, Lazarus Barla, Kanwalpreet Singh, Jugraj Singh.
Midfielders: S S Gill, Ignace Tirkey, S Thirumalvalavan, Arjun Halappa, Baljit Saini.
Forwards: Dhanraj Pillay, Daljit Singh Dhillon, Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, Baljit Singh Dhillon, Sabu Varkey, Bipin Fernandez.

India's match Schedule:
February 24: vs Japan
February 26: vs Korea
February 27: vs Malaysia
March 1: vs England
March 2: vs Cuba
March 4: vs Poland
March 5: vs Australia

PTI