Balbir, Sita retained in HI selection panel

Former India captain Col. Balbir Singh and Arjuna awardee Sita Gusain Mehta have been retained in the newly-constituted 10-member selection committee announced by Hockey India, in Delhi, on Wednesday.

Apart from Balbir and Sita, none of their former colleagues -- BP Govinda, Muneer Sait and Arjuna awardee Madhu Yadav -- found a place in the new panel, which has three female representatives in Rekha Bhide, Rajbir Kaur and Sita.

Other members of the selection panel include Syed Ali, Manohar Topno, Harpreet Singh, Anil Aldrin and the duo of Thoiba Singh and AB Subbaiah, who will double up as selectors apart from discharging duties in the newly-formed development committee.

The new selection panel was formed after a meeting of Hockey India's development committee on Wednesday under the chairmanship of former India skipper Pargat Singh.

At the meeting, the committee discussed various issues, including the vacant coach's post of both the men's and women's national teams.

"The committee decided to call the Indian coaching and support staff applicants for their presentations and discussions to the capital on January 22 and 23," a Hockey India statement said.

"The presentations and discussions with the foreign coaching and support staff applicants will be held subsequently," it added.

Hockey India also appointed former India coach and Olympian Sukhbir Singh Grewal director for coaching and development for both men and women.

Incidentally, the Sports Ministry had already replaced the long-serving Ajit Pal Singh and Zafar Iqbal with former India captain Dilip Tirkey and Olympian Harbinder Singh as the new government observers.

Hockey India selection committee: Col. Balbir Singh, Syed Ali, Rekha Bhide, Rajbir Kaur, Manohar Topno, Thoiba Singh, Harpreet Singh, AB Subbaiah, Sita Gusain Mehta, Anil Aldrin.