By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, Dec 12
INDIAN players as well as coaches of various franchisees welcomed Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and Nimbus Sports’ decision to postponed the multi-city based World Series Hockey (WSH) stating that the organisers have proved they are organising the multi-million dollar tournament only for the benefit of Indian players.
WSH and IHF have announced new dates for the inaugural edition of WSH which will now start from February 29, 2012 four days after Olympic qualifiers. The opening ceremony and inaugural match of WSH will be held on the February 29 and the final will be held on April One as per the revised schedule.
Twelve current India players have backed out from the tournament including Arjun Halappa and Tushar Khandekar only to be part of the Indian qualifying squad. But after the postponement they thanked said they are grateful to the organisers for changing the dates.
According to a statement released by WSH, the players termed the postponement as the best thing to happen to Indian hockey and said they are committed to play the event after the qualifiers.
FORMER INDIA CAPTAIN ARJUN HALAPPA: World Series Hockey is the best thing to have happened to Indian hockey. I am committed to participate in the inaugural event and extremely grateful to the organisers for shifting the date after the Olympic qualifiers.
TUSHAR KHANDEKAR: This is fantastic news for the players. We were always committed to participate in WSH and the change in date ensures that there is no clash with our national duty. It is going to be a very good opportunity for the Indian players to shine on a global platform.
CHENNAI CHEETAHS CAPTAIN BRENT LIVERMORE: I strongly believe World Series hockey will lead the revival of hockey in India. This decision to reschedule the tournament keeping in mind the interest of the players of the Indian national team reaffirms the commitment that WSH has towards their most important stakeholders. The ongoing preparatory camp is very fruitful in building a cohesive unit and I look forward to coming back and leading the charge for Chennai Cheetahs in February.
CHANDIGARH CAPTAIN REHAN BUTT: The fact that WSH has taken this decision to help solve a big quandary for the players makes me extremely happy and it augurs well for the future of the tournament. I look forward to captaining the Chandigarh team in February.
FORMER INDIA COACH JOSE BRASA (Chennai Cheetahs coach): WSH is a blessing for Indian hockey and they have proved it again by helping the players out from a sticky situation. Now, the players will be able to give their best for India and then get a chance to play in a world class league where the base for a bright future for Indian hockey will be set. I’m eagerly looking forward to coaching the my team from the revised dates.
FORMER INDIA COACH HARENDRA SINGH: For the first time in a long time, a decision has been taken in Indian hockey keeping the players at the forefront. I would like to express genuine respect and admiration for the decision of WSH to reschedule the tournament. The preparatory camps for WSH have begun and I look forward to coaching the Chandigarh team in February as per the revised dates.
