Hockey Olympian Harbinder Singh sees Inter-Department National Championship as a good platform to unearth talent

The second edition of the Hockey India (HI) Senior Men's Inter-Department National Championship is underway at the Major Dhyan Chand National Hockey Stadium in New Delhi.

Olympian and national selector Harbinder Singh thinks this tournament will be a good platform for young players to showcase their talent. The former India international spoke to Sportskeeda and explained the value of the event.

“As a member of the Hockey India (HI) selection panel, I am following each and every match of the nine-day long tournament. After the inter-department competition, [I] will recommend the names of individual players who will be outstanding in the competition to the HI for core group.”

Response to the Inter-Department National Championship hockey tournament

While the departmental tournament, being held after a gap of two years due to COVID-19, will be an excellent platform to scout talent, there are no takers for domestic competition, at least in Delhi. There were hardly any spectators to watch the event.

The preliminary stage matches were a one-sided affair on Friday. Punjab National Bank beat Sashastra Seema Bal 11-0, while the Railway Sports Promotion Board defeated Central Industrial Security Force 10-0 in the league matches.

Saturday's league matches too were one-sided. Except for the one where the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) scored a thrilling 3-2 win over the Central Reserve Police Force in one of their league matches.

On Sunday, CAG exposed Delhi’s BSES team by scoring a 29-0 win. The Railway Sports Promotion Board and Petroleum Sports Promotion Board were easy winners in their respective league matches on Sunday.

Of the 16 teams in the fray, the All India Police Sports Control Board pulled out of the tournament.

Harbinder was of the opinion that the competition will be interesting to watch from the quarter-finals onwards.

“The inter-department hockey tournament is a good initiative to keep hockey players working across various government departments to showcase their talent."

According to the HI selector, since the national team is in the final phase of preparation for the 2023 World Cup, there will be no addition to the core group of the national men’s squad. After the 2023 World Cup, the Indian team will play FIH Pro League matches in March.

“List of the potential players recommended for the national core group will be for future camps,” the Olympian said.

The Indian men's team finished its tour of Australia on Sunday. With the World Cup just over a month away, the national team would be in focus. However, the selectors will be keeping an eye on the ongoing tournaments to unearth unheralded talent.