India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs is nonplussed as to why the senior players are not adhering to the game plan as he struggles to prepare the side for Friday's tough match against reigning Olympic champions Germany. After suffering two successive defeats, Nobbs had a one-on-one session separately with his players and asked why the game plan was consigned to the dustbin by some players.
Rio Paralympcs silver medallist remains upset over being ignored for Khel Ratna this year and feels exception should have been made by the awards committee, like it had done in 2016.
Following is the schedule of Indian contingent on the ninth day of the Asian Games, on Monday.
Pargat Singh is former India hockey captain. He represented India in three Olympic Games between 1988 and 1996. He is the only man to captain India in two Olympics - at Barcelona '92 and Atlanta '96.
Out-of-favour India hockey goalkeeper Adrian D'Souza has tested positive for a banned substance in a random test conducted by the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) during the inaugural World Series Hockey which concluded early this month.
India hockey coach Michael Nobbs says scoring field goals will be the key to the team's fortunes at the upcoming Olympics.
Reigning silver medallists India will open their campaign against arch-rivals Pakistan in a mouth-watering men's hockey contest of the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs is furious at the lack of commitment shown by his players in the first three games at the London Games and said there were some players in the team who are just happy to be Olympians.
The Delhi high court on Monday cleared the way for the players' participation in the World Series Hockey (WSH), a joint initiative of the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Nimbus Sport, if the tournament schedule does not clash with international commitments of the national team.
India hockey coach Michael Nobbs defended the decision to drop a few senior players from the squad for next month's Olympic qualifier, insisting that form and fitness were the only criteria for selection.
The Hockey Junior World Cup Men is scheduled to take place from December 8 till December 18, in Lucknow, the International Hockey Federation (FIH) on Thursday confirmed.
India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs has a problem of plenty after impressive debuts by youngsters in the ongoing Test series against South Africa and he says it will be difficult to select the best 18 for next month's Olympic qualifiers.
The HI president also said that a committee has been formed to decide on the fate of the coach and it will take a decision on Friday. He said he has no ego problem and if the committee feels the coach should continue, he would himself go to The Netherlands to bring him back.
India hockey coach Michael Nobbs was delighted with his side's performance in the 2-1 victory over Pakistan, saying his boys played better to stay in the race for a bronze medal in the Azlan Shah Cup tournament, in Ipoh, Malaysia, on Thursday.
'The feeling that we were Olympic champions only dawned on us when we reached India.'
Having failed to adapt to the blue turf during the Olympic hockey test event in London recently, India hockey team is keen to play more on the surface to get adjusted to it ahead of the Games, says ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh.
Former India hockey captain Sardar Singh claimed that former coach Sjoerd Marijne and current high performance director David John forced him to make a shock retirement in September.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, among others, lavished praise on Kidami Srikanth for claiming the Australian Open title with a stunning win over reigning Olympic and world champion Chen Long.
With an eye on the Olympics, the India hockey team skipper Sardar Singh said that the upcoming tournaments like Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and Champions Trophy will serve as important preparatory events in the run-up to the Rio Games. Sardar said while the immediate aim is to win a gold in Sultan Azlan Shah Cup at Ipoh from April 6-16, the larger goal is to come up with a medal-winning show in the Champions Trophy, to be played in London from June 10-17.
In a bid to ensure that Olympic medallists get immediate recognition, the Sports Ministry said medal winners from the upcoming Rio Games will be considered for this year's Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards.
Former India hockey captain Zafar Iqbal does not see the national team ending its three-decade old medal drought at the London Olympics this year, but is of the opinion that a semi final berth would be a great achievement for the eight-time champions.
With the Indian men's hockey team delivering some fine results under his tutelage, Roelant Oltmans' contract as chief coach is set to be extended till the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Check out India's report card on the fourth day of the 2016 Olympics.
Cyclone 'Titli' did dampen the spirits of hockey fans to some extent but not veterans like Dilip Tirkey and Dhanraj Pillay who were excited about the exhibition match played, in Bhubaneswar, on Wednesday.
Placed in a tough pool, India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs says vice-captain Sardara Singh and ace drag-flicker Sandeep Singh's form will be crucial to the team's chances in the upcoming London Olympics.
The eight-time Olympic winners have been clubbed along with reigning champions Germany, Korea, New Zealand, Belgium and Netherlands in Pool B at 2012 Olympic Games in London.
'Indian hockey will lose out on one of its most important nurseries of good hockey talent.'
The Sports Ministry's effort to end the long-standing imbroglio in Indian hockey ended on a futile note as differences between Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation continue to persist, even as the IOA gave a 21-day deadline to both the bodies to present a new merger proposal.
Faced with the prospect of India's hockey team being ousted from the race to Olympics, the Sports Ministry has called a meeting of the IOA, Hockey India and the Indian Hockey Federation on October 14 to resolve the dispute related to the game's governance in the country.
Sreejesh has a painful right knee due to a ligament injury that generally takes two to three months to heal, a team source said on Wednesday, ahead of India's preliminary league fixture against Japan.
Former India captain Viren Rasquinha on Tuesday gave a clarion call for all concerned in running the sport to bury their egos and stop politicking for the future of national game.
Former India hockey goalkeeper Baljit Singh, whose career came to a sudden halt after a critical eye injury during a training camp in Pune in 2009, has blamed government apathy for his growing misery.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan lived up to his promise of paying Rs 1.01 lakh to all the participants of Rio Olympic Games and has requested the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to send him details of the athletes. Salman, who was the goodwill ambassador of the Indian contingent at this year's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, had earlier this month pledged to present a cheque of Rs 1,01,000 to each of the athletes.
The Olympic Gold Quest, founded by sports legends Prakash Padukone and Geet Sethi, has provisionally suspended the funding it gives to drug-tainted athlete Ashwini Akkunji, one of the sports persons it supports, and is awaiting the result of her "B" sample.
Hockey India secretary-general Narinder Batra said the duo e-mailed their appeal plea to him on Thursday and sought for a meeting with him next week.
His unsavoury relationship with Jose Brasa, notwithstanding, India hockey captain Rajpal Singh is still in favour of a foreign coach but advised Hockey India to take cue from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while selecting the coaching staff of the national team.
Sjoerd Marijne said he found it hard to recognise the team he has been coaching while watching it squander lead and settle for a frustrating 2-2 draw against a lackadaisacal Pakistan in the Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
Will the fans rush back to the stadium once sport resumes? Will training abroad be as hassle-free as it used to be? What about contact sports where social distancing can't really be practised? Some of India's biggest sportspersons -- current and former -- gave their views on future of sports once the action resumes.
Former captain Sardar Singh was brought back to bolster the Indian hockey team's mid-field while Birendra Lakra was included to shore up the defence line-up for the upcoming Champions Trophy, beginning on June 23 in Breda, The Netherlands.
India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs may be disappointed at losing out on the Champions Challenge title and with it a spot in the next Champions Trophy, but he is only looking at the positives to be taken from the defeat to Belgium in the final.
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