Lalremsiami, Salima Tete, Rajwinder Kaur, Sharmila are some of the new entrants in the Indian team and have climbed up the ranks swiftly with some commendable performances on the international stage.
While Hockey India has nominated BJ Kariappa and Romesh Pathania for the Dronacharya Award, Parameswaran decided to apply for the coveted award through Hockey Karnataka.
Sunil gave an insight into how they took up special methods to keep themselves engaged.
The players might have been away from the field but men's national team coach Graham Reid utilised the enforced break by following his normal routine -- analysing the opposition and preparing for the future.
While the teams follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and guidelines specified by SAI and Hockey India, Manpreet feels the players too have become very conscious of following social distancing and keeping up with hygiene practices.
His deteriorating health adding to the trauma, the 65-year-old Diwan had made a distress call to the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Batra last month, requesting him to take his plea to the higher authorities.
Last month, Diwan had sought help to return from the USA, where he is stuck because of the travel restrictions in place owing to the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc around the globe.
Indian men and women hockey teams are practising at SAI centre Bengaluru where no unauthorised person can enter the campus.
Suraj Lata said that she always thought her husband's behaviour would change, but after he assaulted her at Kapurthala in Punjab in November last year while she was officiating at a tournament, she told to herself that it was enough.
Despite attacking efforts from both sides, it was the two defences that stood out and impressed.
Drag-flickers Varun Kumar (2nd and 49th minutes) and Harmanpreet Singh (11th and 25th) scored a brace each, while Vivek Sagar Prasad (35th) was the other goal scorer for India.
With two wins and a draw, India moved up to the second position in the table with seven points behind Korea (7).
With this draw, the Indian team led by defender Sunita Lakra go into the final on Sunday as the table toppers.
Sunita was handed the leadership responsibility of the 18-member side in the absence of regular skipper Rani Rampal, who has been rested for the tournament scheduled to start on May 13.
The junior men's team defeated Bangladesh 9-2 in their semifinal encounter while their women counterparts beat Malaysia 4-2 in their last-four stage match.
India held on to their third spot in the overall tally, behind hosts Australia and England. The Indian contingent has so far collected 11 gold, four silver and six bronze medals.
Drag Flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh (3rd minute and 44th minute) scored twice from penalty corners to steer India to the win against Malaysia.
Malaysia is ranked way below in the FIH charts but Manpreet Singh's side has been known to slip up when least expected, the opening game against Pakistan being a testimony to that.
Sardar's exclusion was on expected lines as he performed below-par at this year's Azlan Shah tournament.
Having grabbed the lead on two occasions (1-0 in the 10th minute and 2-1 in the 26th minute), the Indian men's team fumbled in the end in their last round-robin match against Ireland on Friday.
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