Indian players today sported black arm bands in their opening match of the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament against Japan here as a mark of respect for teammate Manpreet Singh's father, who passed away just hours before the start of the match.
India thus missed the services of centre-half Manpreet, who left for home after hearing of his father's death.
A minute's silence was also observed before the start of the match.
Manpreet, therefore, is unavailable for the rest of the tournament and India chief coach Roelant Oltmans said the loss of the pivotal centre-half was a big blow for the team.
