Chennai: P. Sudhakar of AG’s Office will lead a 20-member Tamil Nadu squad at the Santosh Trophy south zone qualifiers, starting here on Sunday. AG’s Office have supplied six players for maximum representation followed by ICF (4). Customs, Hindustan Eagles, Southern Railway and Indian Bank have two players each in the squad. Tirunelveli DFA (1) and RBI (1) round off the list.
A preliminary list of 45 players was brought down in three stages to arrive at the final squad of 20. Coach C.M. Ranjith said he had a free hand in selection. “I picked the squad based on the performance of the players in the camp. I consulted assistant coach Rajeev and goalkeeping coach Muruhuvendan before zeroing in on the final list. This is the best squad I could come up with,” he added.
R. Naveen Kumar of AG’s Office is a notable absentee. The experienced defender told Deccan Chronicle that he “pulled out of the camp on his own after suffering an injury.” “I had problems with my thigh muscles and hamstring after a practice match at the camp. I voluntarily disclosed my injury to the coach. Not being able to play in the Santosh Trophy at home is a big disappointment for me, but I didn’t want to enter the tournament half-fit,” he said.
Indian Bank’s Wayne D’Silva is now the front-runner to partner K. Sathish at the heart of defence. Ranjith also has the option of using F. Francis Beschi, M. Murthy and R. Sivapriyan. But he is inclined to use Wayne who is known to make decisive interventions.
“I’m satisfied with the squad. The players have done their best in the camp. Our progress to the final phase of the national championship depends on how they translate their hard work in practice into results,” Ranjith said.
The coach said Sudhakar was the natural choice for captaincy. “He deserves the honour,” he added. Goalkeeper A. Arun Pradeep, who is all set to guard the goal, will be Sudhakar’s deputy.
Does the fact that only two designated forwards (A. Raegan and H. Ameerudeen) figure in the list a concern for Ranjith? “No,” the coach said. “First of all, I had no other options for the forward position. More important, the two players on the right and left extreme will technically become strikers during a match. The 4-5-1 formation I will be using is flexible and it will be 4-3-3 for all practical purposes.”
For the first time in recent memory, entry to the Nehru Stadium will not be free. '20 will be charged for a ticket. Two teams finishing with same points after the round-robin league will be separated by the result of the match between the teams concerned. If it is a draw then goal difference will be considered.
Goals scored will be the last statistical option before the draw of lots.
Qualifiers will be conducted in five zones (south, west, north, east and north-east). Top two teams from each zone will advance to the final phase, which is scheduled to be held at Siliguri, West Bengal, from February 24 to March 9.
