New Delhi: India's hockey coach Michael Nobbs said on Sunday that former captain Rajpal Singh may not be fit in time to play the Olympic qualifiers beginning here at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium from February 18.
Rajpal - who is one of the finest strikers in India currently - has been out of action for the past three months after going under the knife for appendicitis. However, he played in one match of the five-Test series against South Africa that concluded here on Sunday.
"Rajpal is going to need a lot of work. He has been out for nearly 12 weeks. He is going to take a few months before getting back into top shape. He probably won't play (the Olympic qualifiers)," Nobbs said.
The Indian coach added that Rajpal's replacement SV Sunil is playing well and it's difficult to see a half-fit Rajpal replacing him at the moment.
"He (Rajpal) will have to replace SV Sunil, who is one of the top strikers in the world," Nobbs said.
India - who used the series against South Africa as selection trials for the Olympic qualifiers - tested close to 40 players in the five matches and Nobbs was pretty satisfied with the outing.
“This has been a terrific series. It has given us an opportunity to look at all the probables, which has helped us see the make-up of the team before the qualifiers. So I'm really pleased with how it went.”
India beat the South Africans 4-0 and 2-1 in the first two matches before the visitors came back to keep the series alive by winning the third game 3-2. However, a hard-fought 4-3 win in the fourth match decided the series in India's favour with a 3-1 scoreline. The fifth and final match on Sunday ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw.
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