Surinder Kaur to lead Indian women Hockey squad

##ad_1##PATIALA: Surinder Kaur will lead the 18 member squad of Indian women hockey in the women's Hockey World Cup to be held from August 29 to September 11, 2010 in Rosario, Argentinaina.

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The selectors have chosen the 18 members squad and sent to sports ministry for final announcement, said informed sources.

All the selectors including two of these are government nominees — Ajit Pal Singh and Zafar Iqbal and the other three members are Sita Mehta, nee Gosain, Rupa Saini, and Balbir Singh Jr. have short listed the names from the 39 proables.

Zafar Iqbal and Sita Mehta nee Gosain left Delhi Friday evening for submission of list to the sports ministry for formal announcement, said sources.   

Surinder Kaur also led Indian hockey women team for Asian Women’s Champions Trophy at Busan, South Korea last month.

The team was selected after the trials here.

The others team members were not yet cleared but including Surinder Kaur two more girls from Shahbad Haryana Rani and Jasjeet were the names who have found place, said sources. Players from Jharkhhand and Punjab also found place in the team, said sources.

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Former international Sandeep Somesh & Modi, former captains, Pritam Siwach and Sandeep Kaur were in the coaching staff for the camp here.

Indian women's hockey was rocked by a sex scandal recently when a fringe player had raised sexual harassment allegations against chief coach M K Kaushik, who was sacked thereafter and former international Sandeep Somesh was appointed as the new coach. The players had appealed that Somesh and Modi were their choices, as both of them had been the support of the team, right from preparing strategies to analyzing their strengths and weaknesses.

Pritam Siwach is Arjuna awardee, who led India to the silver medal in the 1998 Asian Games, and Sandeep, who was skipper for the 1998 World Cup, are among the four coaches with the team.

After the sex scandal, the players demanded the removal of some of the coaches but requested that Somesh and Modi be retained.

The government observer for women's hockey, Rupa Saini, has replaced Madhu Yadav, who is also a selector, as team manager.