Sports Minister Anurag Thakur has come down heavily on Hockey India's decision to pull out of next year's Commonwealth Games, due to be played in Birmingham, UK.
In a chat with media, Thakur said that the federation should refrain from giving such statements and discuss with the government first because it's just not federation's team, its a national team. India doesn't have only 18 players. If cricketers can play in IPL as well as the world cup, why can't hockey players participate in Asian & Commonwealth Games? questioned Thakur.
His strong statement came after Hockey India announced Indian's men's and women's teams' withdrawal from the 2022 CWG citing strict quarantine rules in UK.
Also read: Indian hockey teams pull out of Commonwealth Games 2022