Sardar Singh will play a lot better now: Coach Roelant Oltmans

In a significant but surprise move senior goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was named captain of the national team for the Rio Olympics, replacing long-standing skipper Sardar Singh

New Delhi: In a significant but surprise move senior goalkeeper PR Sreejesh was named captain of the national team for the Rio Olympics, replacing long-standing skipper Sardar Singh.

India hockey players V Raghunath (left), Sardar Singh and Manpreet Singh (right) at a function in New Delhi yesterday. Pic/PTI

Sreejesh, one of the finest custodians in world hockey at the moment, was rewarded after the team, under his leadership, ended up with a silver medal at the Champions Trophy in London, their best ever result in the 38-year-history of the blue riband six-nation tournament.

SV Sunil was named vice-captain. Chief coach and High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans said the move to relieve Sardar from captaincy was purely taken to free him from excess responsibilities.

"The philosophy behind changing the captain is that we felt people need to take more responsibilities on the pitch and off the pitch. Sardar was taking too much responsibilities because of which he was not performing at the level that is expected of him. By changing the captain I believe Sardar will play a much better Olympic Games," Oltmans told reporters at a function organised by Hockey India to announce the men's and women's teams for the Rio Games.

Off the field too, Sardar had been going through tough times following allegations of rape after promising marriage were levelled against him by a British national.Asked if Sardar's off-field controversy bogged him down, the Dutchman reacted in affirmative. "Of course, those things did affect him," said Oltmans.

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