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‘Best team for Azlan tourney’
Ric surprised by Gill’s sacking
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Marsh guides Kings XI to victory
Sans Aussies, Super Kings face tough task
Delaying tactics
Hayden defends Aussie sledging tactics
Tendulkar’s fitness to be assessed on May 4
PCB ‘can not
force’ Akhtar’s inclusion in IPL
Chelsea players celebrate as Liverpool's Dirk Kuyt (L) walks back to his position after Chelsea beat Liverpool during the second leg of a UEFA Champions League semifinal game at Stamford Bridge in London on Wednesday. — AFP
photo
Ronaldo contracts not at risk
China hold India
Rocky 2nd in Baisakhi golf
Saif, Sohail star for ONGC
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‘Best team for Azlan tourney’
New Delhi, May 1 The selection of the team for the Azlan Shah Cup will be the first major activity of the five-member committee, which has Ajit Pal Singh, Zafar Iqbal, Ashok Kumar and Dhanraj Pillai as members. IOA secretary general Raja Randhir Singh said an ad-hoc committee will be formed shortly to oversee the hockey administration which was earlier handled by the IHF. He said the IOA had received a letter from the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports regarding the selection of team for the Azlan Shah Tournament. "The IOA will not interfere in the team selection, and we will be transparent in our dealings", Randhir explained. Aslam said the idea was to field the best team for Azlan Shah, with the core of the team being the one presently participating in a four-nation tourney in Australia. He said the coach (Joaquim Carvalho) and the support staff will remain the same, though henceforth, the coach will be accountable for the success or failure of the team. Aslam Sher Khan made light of the former IHF regime's bid to hoist a "development team", adding that "for the past eight years, we have been hearing about development teams, but there is no development happening in hockey". He said the men's team cannot be subjected to experiments as the purpose was to field the best team "as we want to make the team and the coaches accountable". He said coaches had a major say in team selection now, unlike in the past, and he would be made accountable too. Australian Olympian Rick Charlesworth will go with the team as consultant. Charlesworth said he has been in the country for the past four-five months to look around and give his observations for the development of Indian hockey, "which I would be doing". Ajit Pal Singh, captain of India's one and only World Cup victory in Kuala Lumpur in 1975, and the senior most member in the five-member committee, said "we were all concerned with the decline of hockey, but we didn't know how to address it. Now our first task would be to arrest that trend, and take confidence-building measures". "The IOA has now given us a lot of responsibility. We will be transparent (in their actions)", noted Ajit Pal. Pargat Singh, another former Olympian, who was also present, said "let the committee be given a free hand to do a good, transparent job". He said the hockey administration in the country would have to work at many levels to put the game back into the big league. He said the first and foremost task should be a short-term goal of creating a nucleus of players for the 2010 World Cup and the Commonwealth Games to be held in Delhi. He said 30 to 40 players should be selected and groomed for the purpose. The second approach is to have a very competitive domestic circuit like the international circuit. And then the long-term plan of enriching grass-root level hockey by penetrating to school and college levels. Pargat quoted the example of Punjab, where there are around 2000 players making fast strides in the game. He said the Punjab Hockey League, in the age groups of Under-19, Under-16 and Under-14, will have around 150 teams, which was proof enough of the talent-pool presently available in the State, "though we have yet to touch the game at the senior level". Pargat said though the PHL was a good concept, "it has to be organised properly" to make it purposeful. "Presently, the individual teams competing in the PHL have no organisational setup. That has to change", added Pargat, a versatile player, former Olympian and India captain, now taking a keen interest in the revival of Indian hockey. Zafar Iqbal, another former Indian captain and dashing winger, said it was for the first time that "players have been given the responsibility of managing hockey affairs". |
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Ric surprised by Gill’s sacking
New Delhi, May 1 The outspoken Australian, who was here to give his inputs to the new selection committee to pick the Indian team for Azlan Shah tournament, would not take the bite when asked whether he was happy that Gill was no more at the helm of Indian hockey. "It was a surprise to me. It seems lots of people in India were not surprised by it, but I was surprised. It happened so fast. Sometimes, such thing can happen so fast," Charlesworth told reporters. Charlesworth said it was the right time for Indian hockey to go ahead and adapt to the fast changing world scenario. "I have been through four to five months at my job of watching Indian hockey and making recommendations for its improvement. Nothing much have changed, it is the right time time to do this now.” "The game has changed a lot... fast-paced... emphasis on fitness. You have to accept that India are not among the top teams in the world. You have start afresh and start the restructuring process if you want to improve.” "If India thinks that what they are doing is all right then carry on but their will be no improvement. And I think in that case they will not need me," he said.
— PTI |
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A hat-trick of losses for Riders
Jaipur, May 1 Chasing 197 for victory, the Knight Riders were bundled out for 151 in 19.1 overs and Ganguly's 51-run knock and David Hussey's 30-ball 42 were the only highlights of yet another dismal batting performance by the Kolkata team. For the Jaipur team, the trio of Shane Watson (2/22), Sohail Tanvir (2/30) and Siddharth Trivedi (2/31) never allowed the Kolkatans to settle down. The visitors also had some poor running between the wickets to blame for their fall as three of their batsmen were run out in the match, which marks their third successive loss after reverses against Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians. Pakistani Salman Butt opened the innings for the Knight Riders in the absence of Kiwi Brendon McCullum but could hardly get a look in before Tanvir castled him for seven in the second over. Ajit Agarkar didn't last long either and became Jaipur skipper Shane Warne's only victim of the match after hitting a couple of sixes in his 13-ball 20. Ganguly held the other end but with wickets tumbling around him, the asking rate kept climbing adding to the pressure on the left-hander. Ricky Ponting's replacement Brad Hodge was run out after adding just one run to the team score and it was left to Hussey to rebuild the innings after Ganguly too departed with the score at 119. Ganguly's knock included four boundaries and a couple of sixes. Hussey, however, could not find a partner at the other end to build the innings. Earlier, Swapnil Asnodkar and Yousuf Pathan slammed blazing fifties to guide Rajasthan Royals to 196 for seven. While Asnodkar departed after scoring a 34-ball 60, which included 10 fours and a six, Pathan fell after making 55 off 33 balls studded with six fours and a couple of sixes. The Royals were dealt an early blow when Graeme Smith (2) departed in the second over of the innings - bowled by Ishant Sharma. The next man in, Mohammed Kaif, too did not last long and after a whirlwind 21-run knock that included three fours and a six, he was caught by David Hussey off Umar Gul's bowling. However, first Asnodkar and later Yousuf made sure that the Royals scored briskly.
— PTI Scoreboard Rajasthan Royals Smith b Ishant 2 S. Asnodkar c Hussey b Gul 60 Kaif c & b Agarkar 21 Y. Pathan b Gul 55 S. Watson lbw Gul 0 R. Jadeja b Shukla 33 Warne run out 7 Tanvir not out 3 M. Rawat not out 1 Extras (b-1, lb-6, w-3, nb-4) 14 Total (7 wkts, 20 overs) 196 FoW: 1-11, 2-53, 3-106, 4-111, 5-168, 6-190, 7-192 Bowling: Ashok Dinda 4-0-30-0, Ishant Sharma 4-0-26-1, Ajit Agarkar 4-0-46-1, Umar Gul 4-0-31-3, Hussey 2-0-26-0, Sourav Ganguly 1-0-14-0, Laxmi Rattan Shukla 1-0-16-1. Kolkata Knight Riders Butt b Sohail Tanvir 7 Ganguly c Kaif b Warne 51 Agarkar c Rawat b Watson 20 Hodge run out 1 Hussey b Trivedi 42 LR Shukla run out 2 DB Das c Watson b Sohail Tanvir 11 WP Saha b Trivedi 1 Umar Gul run out 2 I Sharma not out 1 AB Dinda c sub (T Kohli) b Watson 1 Extras (b-3, lb-2, w-7) 12 Total (all out; 19.1 overs) 151 FoW: 1-15, 2-44, 3-51, 4-119, 5-121, 6-143, 7-145, 8-147, 9-148, 10-151. Bowling: Watson 3.1-0-22-2, Sohail Tanvir 4-0-30-2, SK Trivedi 4-0-31-2, MM Patel 4-0-29-0, Warne 2-0-20-1, Y. Pathan 2-0-14-0
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Marsh guides Kings XI to victory
Hyderabad, May 1 Chasing 165, the Punjab side romped home in 18.5 overs losing just three wickets. Marsh, son of former Australian opener Geoff Marsh, was the outstanding performer for the winners with a belligerent half century that included 11 boundaries besides a six off Nuwan Zoysa. Earlier, Rohit Sharma stood tall amid ruins and hammered an unbeaten 42-ball 76 as Deccan Chargers posted 164 for eight despite a middle and lower order collapse. Right since winning the toss, the Punjab XI did everything right and were always in firm control of the proceedings. They began their chase on a positive note with Marsh imposing himself on the Deccan bowlers. Though it was his shot that brushed Sanjay Bangar's fingers before hitting the wicket with non-striker Ramnaresh Sarwan (15) well outside the crease, the youngster made amends by scoring at a brisk rate. The hosts managed to hit back with D Kalyankrishna removing Kumar Sangakkara (3) and Zoysa taking a catch off his own bowling to scalp Yuvraj Singh (14). Marsh, however, found an able ally in Mahela Jayawardene (45 not out) and the duo milked the Deccan attack with consummate ease to take the match away from the hosts. Jayawardene’s sedate knock came off 23 balls and included six fours and a six. Jayawardene hit the winning runs when he elegantly drove RP Singh for a boundary. Earlier put into bat, it was a slipshod show by the Deccan batsmen with only Rohit, skipper VVS Laxman (48) and Shahid Afridi (13) managing double digit scores. Rohit’s magnificent knock was product of his 42-ball stay in the middle which included 10 hits to the fence besides a couple of sixes. Deccan Chargers began with a flourish but Irfan Pathan bowled Adam Gilchrist (6) in the fourth over, while Piyush Chawla soured Herschelle Gibbs’ (7) IPL debut to jolt the hosts. Though Laxman and Rohit showed signs of a recovery, Chawla struck again removing the Deccan captain, which left the hosts 67 for three in nine overs. Afridi (13) hit Gagandeep Singh for a huge six but a rush of blood did him in and in the next delivery, Yuvraj Singh took a skier in his fourth attempt to cut short the Pakistani all-rounder's stay in the middle. Rohit continued playing his shots but wickets kept tumbling at the other end with Y. Venugopal Rao (1), Sanjay Bangar (3), Zoysa (1) and Kalyankrishna (3) failing to make any mark. Kings XI leggie Piyush Chawla once again impressed with a three-wicket haul, conceding 28 runs in his four overs.
— PTI Scoreboard Deccan Chargers Gilchrist b Pathan 6 Laxman c Yuvraj b Chawla 48 Gibbs c Goel b Chawla 7 Rohit Sharma not out 76 Afridi c Yuvraj b Gagandeep 13 Venugopal Rao run out 1 Bangar c Sreesanth b Chawla 3 Zoysa b Sreesanth 1 Kalyankrishna c Marsh b Pathan 3 R P Singh not out 2 Extras
(b-1, lb-1, w-2) 4 Total (8 wkts, 20 overs) 164 Fall of wickets:
1-27, 2-54, 4-90, 5-92, 6-98 7-119, 8-154 Bowling: Sreesanth 4-0-33-1, Irfan 4-0-30-2, VRV Singh 4-0-34-0, PP Chawla 4-0-28-3, Gagandeep 4-0-37-1 Kings XI Punjab Shaun Marsh not out 84 Sarwan run out 15 Sangakkara c Rohit Sharma
b Kalyankrishna 3 Yuvraj c & b Zoysa 14 M. Jayawardene not out 45 Extras
(lb-2, w-4) 6 Total (3 wkts, 18.5 overs) 167 Fall of wickets:
1-41, 2-45, 3-86. Bowling: RP Singh 3.5-0-36-0, Zoysa 4-0-32-1, Afridi 3-0-28-0, Bangar 4-0-26-0, Kalyankrishna 3-0-34-1, Venugopal 1-0-9-0. Player of the match:
Marsh
(Kings XI Punjab)
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Sans Aussies, Super Kings face tough task
Former New Zealand Captain Stephen Fleming is all set to replace Hayden in the opening slot and maintained that although the Aussie stars would be missed, the team had the strength to compensate for their absence. All the Australians participating in the league have left for a training camp that will be followed by a tour of West Indies.
"I am looking to the match and prove my keenness to perform," Fleming said. The Delhi team, which has suffered just one loss in four outings, seems to be least affected by the Aussie exodus as their top performer from Down Under - Glenn McGrath - has retired from international cricket. Gautam Gambhir, captain Virender Sehwag and Shikhar Dhawan have lent assurance to their batting order with their consistent performances. The Chennai team has been equally destructive with the willow but Hayden and Hussey's departure would not be easy to cope with. Bowling has been bolstered by Mahakhya Ntini and Albie Morkel, who have more than made up for the departure of New Zealand all-rounder Jacob Oram. On points, the Chennai team remains the lone squad to have won all their matches so far (eight points) but Delhi (six points) have a better run rate than the hosts. The host team will, however, miss an injured Manpreet Gony, the most successful bowler so far in the tournament, having claimed seven wickets for 134 runs in 19 overs. It is likely that they would play Ntini, Morkel, Joginder Sharma, Palani Amarnath and Muthiah Muralitharan and Parthiv Patel and Fleming would open their batting followed by Suresh Raina, S Badrinath. Wessels confident
Coach Kepler Wessel is hoping that the departure of Aussies would not hurt the team too much and the replacements would come good. "Makhaya brings in a lot of experience and will of course open with the new ball. Albie is fine all-rounder and then we have Stephen Fleming batting at the top of the order. So, I feel that our team has the kind of balance that it did not have in the previous four games," he said. Wessels said his team has a plan in place to deal with the departure of Australian stars Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey for tomorrow's Indian Premier League match against Delhi Daredevils.
— PTI |
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Warne to complain against Ganguly
Jaipur, May 1 "I was disappointed at the start. While batting we waited for five minutes under the hot sun and they (Knight Riders) were not anywhere to be seen," Warne fumed in the post-match press conference after the Royals beat the Knight Riders today. Asked if he will lodge a formal complaint, Warne told PTI, "It is on the way. When we came out to field, we had to wait for Sourav. So I was really disappointed, he was really running the time," Warne said. Ganguly then angered the Royals' skipper some more by asking for a third umpire referral on his catch that South African captain Graeme Smith took. Warne lashed out at Ganguly for what he perceived as the Indian casting aspersions on Smith's integrity. — PTI
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Hayden defends Aussie sledging tactics
New Delhi, May 1 "I think so, yes (it was a momentary lapse). I didn't think this was ever going to happen and I don't think it will happen again either. Hopefully not," said Hayden, who had called Harbhajan "an obnoxious little weed" during India's acrimonious tour Down Under. Hayden also said the players must have regretted whatever transpired between them on that fateful night following which Harbhajan was banned for rest of the IPL matches this season. "I am sure they will feel remorseful as any player would. Because I think any player who has risen to the top of the game obviously has enormous respect and enormous discipline to get there," he was quoted as saying by 'cricinfo'. The Australian opener, currently playing for Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League, said the row left him upset but he would not use this to sledge either of them when Australia tour India later this year. "I was very upset, I just think we play this great game, in a great competition and both these guys are young men with enormous responsibilities as two fine players and prospects for the country that adores cricket and its cricketers. "No, I won't be (sledging them)," he added. Hayden also defended his national team, which is famous for its sledging tactics. "It's the beauty of our game really; there is a gentlemanly aspect to the game and we get challenged on this. Australia has been nominated as the best sledgers and we get asked the question a lot of time but in reality its actually a mis-truth or certainly an exaggerated truth. "What the world has done following the success of Australian cricket is to try and vilify us. And that's fair enough as the best in the world need to be taken down. So we always had to be on our guard and understand within that we need to address the issue before anyone else does," he said. Hayden said the Australian team has discussed the image of being the bad boys of international cricket and the ways of sledging. "You tell me what are these incidents of bad boys. I don't think we are. But yes, we senior players do sit together and work out where we want to go and how we want to play our cricket. Also, making comments can be distracting to some characters. If someone is forced to do that without it being a motivating factor then its trouble." He believes every team has a few characters that get involved in sledging. "I think in any given side, there are always two or three people that look to sledge. In the Indian side, it would be Sreesanth, Harbhajan and (Robin) Uthappa. You wouldn't hear a boo out of Rahul (Dravid), MS (Dhoni) and (Anil) Kumble though they are all fiercely determined." Hayden also spoke about the art of sledging and how he would pick certain individuals for the treatment. "You choose your targets, really. I would never say anything to Sachin (Tendulkar), Rahul or Anil or anyone like that. I believe they have marked the test of time."
— PTI |
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Tendulkar’s fitness to be assessed on May 4
Mumbai, May 1 "Sachin had net practice today. There are still two more days to go for the match. We will take a call on his fitness on May 4. Today he batted all right. Hopefully, he gets all right before the next match," said team coach Lalchand Rajput after a practice session at the MCA's Bandra-Kurla complex. The champion batsman, who turned 35 on April 24, aggravated a groin injury that he sustained during the tri-series Down Under. He has not played for more than a month. In his absence from the playing XI, the Reliance Industries-owned franchise team lost their first four ties before earning a maiden victory over Kolkata Knight Riders on April 29 at the Eden Gardens, and are languishing at the bottom of the eight-team league table. Mumbai Indians were led by Harbhajan Singh in their first three matches, which were all lost.
— PTI |
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PCB ‘can not
force’ Akhtar’s inclusion in IPL
Karachi, May 1 When asked about the IPL's decision to keep Akhtar out despite being initially contracted with the Kolkata Knight Riders, PCB legal counsel Tafazzul Rizvi said the board didn't have any jurisdiction on the matter. "Look it is on their discretion if they want him to play. We cannot force anybody. But the PCB has shown a big heart in allowing him to play in the IPL despite the five-year ban on him. If they ask us we will tell them he is not stopped from playing anywhere outside Pakistan," Rizvi said. The three-member appellate tribunal headed by Justice (retd) Farrukh Aftab yesterday rejected an application from Akhtar's lawyers to stay the ban imposed on him by the disciplinary committee of the board. But the tribunal said it had no objection to Akhtar playing outside Pakistan till the proceedings of the tribunal resume on the appeal filed by the fast bowler against the ban in June. "We can't force them (IPL) to get a player inducted in any squad. We know now very well how particular they are about discipline. And if he (Shoaib) gets there, he would have to follow their disciplines," Rizvi said. The Indian Cricket Board and the IPL have yet to officially announce if they will allow Shoaib to play in the league for the Kolkata Knight Riders team. The IPL had last month stopped Shoaib from joining his team because of the ban imposed on him by the PCB from playing for or anywhere in Pakistan .
— PTI |
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Lampard inspires Chelsea win
London, May 1 The 29-year-old England midfielder, whose mother Pat died at 58 from pneumonia last Thursday, then let his guard down and wept with emotion while his celebrating team mates swamped him. The goal, after 98 minutes of a pulsating Champions League semifinal second leg against Liverpool, turned the match Chelsea's way, put them 2-1 ahead and in sight of the final in Moscow. Seven minutes later Didier Drogba scored his second goal of the night to make it 3-1 and although Liverpool hit back through Ryan Babel, Chelsea survived to win 4-3 on aggregate and set up an all-English final against Manchester United on May 21. Lampard, so often Chelsea's driving force and saviour, had a night to remember. Television pictures showed his father Frank senior, the former West Ham United player, looking on with proud satisfaction after the penalty. His son had not only put Chelsea ahead but also played a major role in Chelsea's opening goal, setting up the move that led to Drogba scoring after 33 minutes. He was crucial to much of Chelsea's midfield superiority on a heavy pitch lashed by rain for almost all the 120 minutes of the match. Although he had not trained as much as usual since his mother's death, Lampard still had the physical and mental strength to influence the game hugely until he came off to a standing ovation close to the end. Chelsea manager Avram Grant said he had decided to select Lampard on Tuesday. "He's a very brave man. He was very close to his mother," Grant said. "It was his decision to return to training." Drogba paid tribute to his team-mate. "It was very special penalty," he said. "Only Frank Lampard could do that. It was a difficult moment for him but he knew the whole club was behind him."
— Reuters |
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Ronaldo contracts not at risk
Rio de Janeiro, May 1 ''The recent events which involved Ronaldo are personal and do not put at risk any of the forward's publicity contracts with his sponsors, nor give them grounds to cancel the contracts,'' said a statement on the player's website yesterday. Ronaldo's agent Fabiano Farah was quoted as saying: ''For a contract to be cancelled, Ronaldo has to be publicly condemned. But he hasn't committed any crime, nor broken any law. ''On the contrary. He is the only victim in the case.'' Police say Ronaldo, who is recovering from a serious knee injury, was involved in an altercation with three transvestites late on Sunday in the Rio de Janeiro neighbourhood of Barra da Tijuca. The transvestites and Ronaldo were all interviewed by police on Monday. Nobody has been charged but police detective Carlos Augusto Nogueira said one of the transvestites, known as Andreia, may be charged with trying to extort money from Ronaldo and stealing his driving licence.
— Reuters |
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China hold India
Darwin, May 1 China stamped their initial authority scoring in the fourth and 11th minutes before India levelled with two goals in the space of two minutes (23rd and 24th) only to see Chi Song striking again for China three minutes from the breather (32nd). India erased the 2-3 deficit of first half with Ignace Tirkey scoring a fine field goal in the 48th minute and Gurvinder Singh Chandi made it 4-3 in India's favour in the 57th minute. Chi Hu found the target in the 62nd minute to draw parity. India will now have to beat Australia on Saturday if they have any chance of making it to the final. Australia have already made it to the final with two wins from as many matches. Korea (3 points) and China (one point) play against each other in the second match on Saturday. Tomorrow is rest day. India had 1-1 record against China in the first leg in Perth. India had beaten China 2-1 in the league match but lost 1-2 in the bronze medal match in Perth.
— PTI |
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Rocky 2nd in Baisakhi golf
Chandigarh, May 1 The competition was played on stroke play format. The winners were judged on the overall best score. Avtar Singh from Sydney was the winner. Rocky Dhillon from Chandigarh and Gurpal Sohal from Brisbane got the second and third prizes, respectively. Other prizes, including longest drive was won by Raj Kalsi of Brisbane and closest to pin by Amarjot Singh of Canberra. The awards were presented by Harpreet Singh Gill, president, APSCC. |
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Saif, Sohail star for ONGC
New Delhi, May 1 Brief scores:
FCI: 225 for 5 in 40 (Rajinder Bishit 109, Paras Dogra 45 n.o., Akash Malhotra 37, Amit Bhandari 2 for 33). ONGC:
227 for 8 in 39.5 overs (Sohail Sharma 59, Mohd Saif 52, Raj Singh 26 n.o., Ravi Dixit 3). Haryana Colts will meet Air India in the second semifinal tomorrow. |
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The five-member committee consisting of former Olympians, headed by Aslam Sher Khan, which was appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) after the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was disbanded, stated here today, before its first meeting, that the best possible senior team will be fielded for the Azlan Shah Hockey Tournament to be held in Kuala Lumpur from May 8 to 18.
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Chennai, May 1
New Delhi