Indian men’s hockey team’s Asia Cup camp will be shifted to New Delhi

Indian men’s hockey team’s ongoing preparatory camp at the SAI South Centre in Bengaluru for the upcoming 9th Asia Cup slated to be held in Ipoh from August 24, will be shifted to New Delhi over the next few days.

It is learnt that Hockey India arrived at this decision on account of the worn-out Polytan turf at the SAI South Centre.

According to Hockey India sources, the turf is quite slippery and it is affecting the training sessions of the players.

There is a general line of thinking that players cannot practice at their best on the worn-out turf for they ran the risk of inviting injuries.

In fact, minor injuries to some of the players were the last straw for Hockey India to effect a change in the camp venue.

The likes of Gurmail Singh, Harbir Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh sustained minor injuries last week leading to concerns among the team management over using this turf for training purposes for its entire duration.

It may be mentioned here that the national team has been hamstrung by a slew of injuries.

Danish Mujtaba, Gurwinder Singh Chandi and Akashdeep Singh are all on the casualty list and the team management probably couldn’t afford any more injuries ahead of the crucial Asia Cup, which is India’s last opportunity to seal a 2014 World Cup berth (only the Asia Cup winner earns a World Cup berth).

Hockey India, it is learnt, is yet to take a call on the Delhi venue for the camp.

It may be worth recalling that Hockey India has already shifted the camp of the Indian junior team – preparing for the 2013 Junior World Cup – to New Delhi from Bengaluru – the camp starts on August 1.

This is not the first time that the worn-out Polytan turf at the SAI South Centre has come under the scanner. In April 2012, the then national chief coach Michael Nobbs termed the turf ‘unsuitable’ for high-intensity training and the senior camp was shifted out of Bangalore.

One is not sure why the national camps of the senior and junior teams were held in Bengaluru this May.

It looks like Bengaluru may not hold a national camp in the neat future – sources in Hockey India say no national camp is likely to be held in the Garden city anytime soon until a new turf is installed at the SAI South Centre.