Melbourne: Defender William Xalxo was on Tuesday named as the cover for an unwell Harpal Singh in the Indian hockey team for the 18th Commonwealth Games to be inaugurated in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Harpal, who is down with chicken pox, will also stay back but will be kept in quarantine owing to the communicable disease.
Xalxo is expected to arrive in Melbourne on Thursday.
However, according to Indian Hockey Federation sources in Delhi, the Bharat Petroleum player could also leave on Tuesday night if he obtains the visa since the Indian team is slated to play their opening match against Malaysia on March 16.
Xalxo has been included in the Indian squad as a replacement for different international outings at various instances.
In the Champions Trophy in Chennai last December, he was drafted into the team after the last minute withdrwal of skipper Dilip Tirkey.
In the recent bilateral Test series against Pakistan, he again replaced an injured Dilip Tirkey, who suffered an ankle injury.
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