Is it the end of road for Sardar Singh?

The writing was on the wall for Sardar Singh, and unfortunately for him, he couldn't do much to erase it.

In what increasingly looks like the end of the road for one of the finest hockey players the country has ever produced, Sardar was axed from the 18-member Indian hockey men's squad that will fly to Gold Coast, Australia, for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) slated next month.

DNA had reported last month that there will be almost two distinct Indian teams for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the CWG. And, with Sardar being picked for the former to lead an experimental side, it was almost certain that he wouldn't get a ticket for the multi-nation event unless he turned back the clock and came up with something special at the Azlan Shah.

Having produced sprinkles of his former self instead of showers, the heat was always going to intensify on the former India captain, more so with India finishing a poor fifth in the six-nation tournament.

And now, with Sardar being sidelined for the CWG squad, it is hard to see the 31-year-old make a comeback at this stage of his career, especially with coach Sjoerd Marijne having his mind set on a young, fit and quick team for the crucial Asian Games and FIH World Cup later this year as well as the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Marijne's reasoning of keeping Sardar out almost spills the beans on the star midfielder's road ahead in Indian hockey.

"In the midfield, we have players like Chinglensana (Singh), Manpreet (Singh) and Vivek (Sagar Prasad). These are guys who can play vertical besides being really proper while defending in the midfield. Add to that, they can also score goals," Marijne told DNA on Tuesday.

"So, the diversity that these players offer in almost two positions is really big for the team. And that's why we chose them over Sardar," he added.

Of the four midfielders has picked for CWG, there are two experienced hands in captain Manpreet and Chinglensana, but there are an equal number of youngsters: 18-year-old Vivek Sagar Prasad, who made his international debut earlier this year in the New Zealand tour, and 21-year-old Sumit.

Young blood has, thus, been preferred over the aging legs of Sardar.

"One of the key points in Indian hockey is speed," Marijne said. "It's not that the only reason he (Sardar) hasn't been picked is that he's not fast enough, there are more reasons why we don't pick players. But, speed is an important aspect when it comes to Indian hockey."

Marijne said age wasn't a big factor for ignoring Sardar and yet, by giving the example of the 33-year-old Australian Mark Knowles, who will quit international hockey after the CWG, the coach has dropped ample hints.

"If you see someone like Mark Knowles, he is still playing for Australia. But even he is going to stop after the Commonwealth Games," Marijne said.

To make matters worse for Sardar, the Dutchman will cut the size of the core group from 33 to 24 after the CWG to focus solely on Asian Games in August and the World Cup in November-December.

With Marijne confirming that the 18 players picked for CWG will be a part of that elite group, the window is getting smaller by the day for Sardar. And so is his ray of hope of donning that India jersey for a bit longer.

Ramandeep too axed in 'tough decision'

The decision to ignore Ramandeep Singh has come as more of a surprise than the sidelining of Sardar Singh. The 24-year-old forward performed decently in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup – he scored a brace against Australia in India's 2-4 loss – and was in good goal-scoring form even in the New Zealand tour before that. However, with the likes of SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh and Mandeep Singh making a comeback and youngsters Gurjant Singh and Dilpreet Singh finding more favour, Ramandeep is bound to feel a little hard done by. "Ramandeep did really well in the New Zealand tour, and in a few matches at the Azlan Shah. He's a great player, and it was a tough decision. But he needs to keep working on his form," coach Sjoerd Marijne said.

This is the best mixture of players: Marijne

After a number of tournaments of experimenting with different players and combinations, normal order has been restored with the return of a lot of familiar faces into the squad for the Commonwealth Games. This will be goalkeeper PR Sreejesh's first big tournament after a return from a knee injury, while regulars like Rupinder Pal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, captain Manpreet Singh, Chinglensana Singh, SV Sunil, Akashdeep Singh will all make a comeback after being rested for the Azlan Shah. Coach Sjoerd Marijne said that the process of experimentation, that was taking place in the last four tournaments, will not stop. "From all the tournaments that we tried players in, we think this is the best mixture of players and the best combination going forward," Marijne said.

Squad

Goalkeepers: PR Sreejesh, Suraj Karkera
Defenders: Rupinder Pal Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Kothajit Singh Kadangbam, Gurinder Singh, Amit Rohidas
Midfielders: Manpreet Singh(C), Chinglensana Singh Kangujam (VC), Sumit, Vivek Sagar Prasad
Forwards: Akashdeep Singh, SV Sunil, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Dilpreet Singh