Indian Hockey Federation chief K P S Gill said that the team chosen for the Pakistan series and the Commonwealth Games was the best possible combination picked keeping in mind the merit and fitness of each players.
"We discussed everything about the merits and demerits of every player," Gill told a news channel on Wednesday.
"We also discussed about where each player will fit into the scheme of things and we also have to remember that unlike other major events the Commonwealth Games allows only 16 player. So in that the fitness aspect is very important. So I think we selected the best teams at the moment."
IHF had raised many a eyebrows by axing Gagan Ajit Singh, Viren Rasquinha, Deepak Thakur and Prabhjot Singh from the 20-member Indian squad for the Pakistan series and the Commonwealth Games.
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Gill slammed the former hockey players for criticising the Federation.
"Ex-players are very happy to come on TV. Give them a chance to show what they can do for hockey. They could do nothing at all. You may be playing hockey at one point of time but that does not mean you become a great organiser," Gill said.
He said that violence during the domestic tournaments is one aspect that the Federation is taking very seriously.
"That (violence) is something which is not good for hockey at all. So we will have to see that it does not happen. .. we will have to look into the whole structue of organising tournaments.
