India's below par performance in the Sydney Olympic games took its toll on Wednesday with the Indian Hockey Federation deciding to sack captain Ramandeep Singh and coach Vasudevan Baskaran. IHF announced 43 probables for the coaching camp starting in Patiala on January 5 in preparation for the World Cup qualifiers in Scotland in July with Cedric D'souza making a comeback as the national coach and a captain yet to be named.
Ramandeep and his Olympic half-back Mohd Riaz were conspicuous by their absence in the probables list.
"We thought their careers were over in the Olympics," IHF President K P S Gill told reporters about their exclusion.
"Moreover, they did not even participate in the National Hockey Tournament (which concluded in Jammu on December 16)," He said.
Mukesh Kumar, who announced his retirement from international hockey immediately after the Olympic campaign, has also not been selected.
Rest of the Olympic squad, including mercurial striker Dhanraj Pillay, has been retained and seven junior players have also been included in the probable list.
Gill said that D'souza had agreed to take over again as coach and his tenure and other details would be worked out shortly.
Former goalkeeper Ashish Balal has been named assistant coach alongwith C R Kumar and asked to train the five goalkeepers named for the camp.
Bureau Report