NEW DELHI: After roping in PR Sreejesh as the new chief coach of the junior men's team, Hockey India (HI) now plans to include two more former India players in the coaching set-up. Defender Birendra Lakra and halfback SV Sunil are likely to join Sreejesh in the coaching group for the juniors. Both Lakra and Sunil had retired in 2021. While Lakra was part of India's bronze-winning Tokyo Olympics campaign, Sunil was dropped from the Tokyo squad.
"Lakra has accepted our offer, but we are waiting for Sunil's affirmative. We are positive that he will also say yes to the offer we've made," sources told TOI.
"Sunil was one of India's most skillful forward-line players and he served the country with distinction for more than a decade. Similarly, Lakra was our defensive mainstay along with Bob (Rupinder Pal Singh) during the Tokyo Olympics. Getting both added to our coaching group will help groom the junior players in a better way," the source added.
Sunil donned the India cap on 264 occasions and scored 72 goals, while Lakra played for the country on 208 occasions, scoring 10 goals.
Hockey set to return to Delhi after a decade
Delhi's iconic Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium, once called the 'temple of Indian hockey', has been deprived of top-flight international tournaments for a decade now, but things are set to change. A top official of the hockey federation told TOI that "a two-match Test series against Paris Olympics silver-medallist Germany will be organized at the stadium on Oct 23 and 24 this year."
"It is high time the stadium gets its due. There is a lot of heritage and history attached to it and we must not forget that," the official added.
The last international match played in Delhi was the 2014 Hockey World League final. Odisha government's enthusiasm and love for the sport made Bhubaneswar and Rourkela the new hockey hub. Also, the national camps are now organised India Centre in Bengaluru.
