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Pargat calls for stars' return

Newly appointed national hockey coach Pargat Singh expressed his distress over the dropping of senior players including Dhanraj Pillay, and said he would do his utmost to bring them back into the Indian team.

Parget, appointed national coach on Saturday, said in a television interview that he will ask the IHF to recall these players. "I have to get them back, their experience will benefit Indian hockey, how can you forget them?" he asked, adding that the concerned players had to be found fit, first.

"Right now, I have a raw team and I can only experiment with them," Pargat said. "Maybe after three or four tournaments, I might be in a position to do something."

The basic weakness of the side, Pargat said, was an inability to convert penalty corners. The goalkeeping and scoring by forwards were also other areas that needed attention, Pargat added.

Asked why India had a poor record on penalty conversions, Pargat, himself a penalty corner specialist in his time, said, "I had a speed of 165 kmph, whereas Dutch specialist Bovelander hits at 220 kmph. This makes all the difference. To improve speed, we need strength, and to build strength takes time and attention."