Olympic Team Selection
Mr. Jagannath was appointed the manager, Mr. Pankaj Gupta the assistant manager and Dhyan Chand the captain of the Indian Olympic hockey team by the president of the Indian Hockey Federation, Sir Jagdish Pershad.
By Olympic Gold Medallist M. N. Masood
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Olympic Team Selection | Dhyan Chand did not get leave from
the Army for the Inter-Provincial tournament, but was selected without any
trial games on the strength of his past reputation.
Mr. Jagannath was appointed the manager, Mr. Pankaj Gupta the assistant manager and Dhyan Chand the captain of the Indian Olympic hockey team by the president of the Indian Hockey Federation, Sir Jagdish Pershad. |
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esides
the Inter-Provincial matches, elimination trial games were also held with a view
to either retaining a player for further trials, or eliminating him altogether.
Thus a player, whether his team won or lost in the tournament, was given other
chances to show his skill.
The Selection Committee, which watched every game, was composed of one representative from each competing association. While no unfair play in the retention or elimination of competitors was suspected, it was thought that the Committee was unwieldy, being twelve in number.
Also, the Committee consisted of a majority of individuals who had not played or seen first class hockey before. Surely, a competitor would desire that his selectors were capable of judging his true worth, which can be appraised only by observers who had been players of repute.
The following players were selected finally by the Indian Hockey Federation on the recommendation of the Selection Committee:
| Nos. | Name | Province | Position |
| 1 | Richard James Allen | Bengal | Goal-keeper |
| 2 | R. J. Carr | Bengal | Forward |
| 3 | Carlyle C. Tapsell | Bengal | Full-back |
| 4 | Lionel C. Emmett | Bengal | Forward |
| 5 | Joseph D. T. Gallibardy | Bengal | Half-back |
| 6 | Shabban Shahab-ud-din | Manavadar | Forward |
| 7 | S. Mohammad Hussain | Manavadar | Full-back |
| 8 | Mirza Nasir-ud-din Masood | Manavadar | Half-back |
| 9 | Syed Mohammad Jaffar | Punjab | Forward |
| 10 | Gurcharan Singh Grewal | Punjab | Full-back |
| 11 | Joseph Phillips | Bombay | Full-back |
| 12 | Baburao Narasappa Nimal | Bombay | Half-back |
| 13 | Roop Singh | United Province | Forward |
| 14 | Dhyan Chand | Army | Forward |
| 15 | Earnest John Goodsir-Cullen | Madras | Half-back |
| 16 | Ahsan Mohammad Khan | Bhopal | Half-back |
| 17 | Paul Peter Fernandes | Sind | Forward |
The substitutes were as follows:
| Nos. | Name | Province | Position |
| 1 | Cyril J. Mitchie | Railways | Goal-keeper |
| 2 | Hodges | Bengal | Full-back |
| 3 | Roy Brewin | Bombay | Half-back |
| 4 | Ali Iqtidar Shah Dara | Army | Forward |
| 5 | Ahmad Sher Khan | Bhopal | Forward |
As Carr and Dara were unable to accompany the team, Ahmad Sher Khan, who was the next reserve forward, filled the place. Dhyan Chand did not get leave from the Army for the Inter-Provincial tournament, but was selected without any trial games on the strength of his past reputation.
The appointment of the manager, assistant manager and captain was left to the president of the Indian Hockey Federation. Mr. Jagannath and Mr. Pankaj Gupta were the candidates for the positions of the managers, and Dhyan Chand and myself were the candidates for the captaincy. Mr. Jagannath was appointed the manager, Mr. Pankaj Gupta the assistant manager and Dhyan Chand the captain of the Indian Olympic hockey team.
It may be remarked that neither Dhyan Chand nor myself ever had the honour of an introduction to Sir Jagdish Pershad, the president of the Indian Hockey Federation, nor did he ever see us at play. Yet he selected one of us for a responsible post without seeing either of us on or off a hockey field.
Members of the 1936 Indian Olympic Hockey Team