New Indian Express: Forgotten drag-flicker out to turn clock back

By Swaroop Swaminathan

CHENNAI: One of the security officials at Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium had switched off the floodlights. Another had proceeded to lock one of the gates to the synthetic turf. They were both unmindful that there was still one Air India player inside, on his warm-downs.

Not that Len Aiyappa bothered. He was still running. Or jogging. Or at least walking. He did this for a good hour after AI’s match against Mumbai Hockey Association – the third and final All India MCC Murugappa Gold Cup hockey match on the second day of the meet.

His girth — comparable to former India cricketer Ramesh Powar — was there for all to see and quite understandable as he had not picked up a hockey stick ever since leaving the game in 2012. But the former India international, who thought he was done with playing at a competitive level four years ago, was here. He changed his mind after watching hockey at the 2016 Olympic Games.

“I left the sport in 2012 for personal reasons and only after watching the Games in Rio I told myself, ‘let me play for a while. Let me see how I fit into the modern scheme of things’.

“Watching it (Summer Games) motivated me. Also, I had analysed a few things about the sport and I want to see whether those analysis of mine are right. You know, just to satisfy myself. But I think it will take me another month to get back into shape.”

There was a time when Aiyappa, in the late 90s and early noughties, was in the shape of his life, when he was a regular in the national team.

After all, he was the country’s chief drag-flicker. The story behind how he came to be that is silver screen material.

“When I was in 10th standard, I had requested my then coach to take me to Chennai (he is from Bengaluru) to watch the 1996 Champions Trophy. I saw Dutchman Bram Lomers against India, drag-flicking with supreme technique. He was the first guy to have really perfected that technique in the modern era. After that, I went back and trained relentlessly to master the art and also try different techniques. It took me eight years before I knew the ins and outs of it. I wasn’t a specialist or anything, but I knew a few things.”

His short corner mastery meant he was hired by the Malaysian Hockey Federation to coach that particular shot to their Under-21 team. He has also travelled to Italy and Spain in similar capacities. A lot has been made about Indian hockey’s recent resurgence in terms of training and fitness but Aiyappa, who has played in foreign leagues, reveals he isn’t a big fan of the domestic training structure.

“Playing in foreign leagues changed a lot of things in my career. After 20 years, I had learnt whatever training I was doing for 16 years was wrong. The training we do here is actually for marathon runners,” he says with a smile on his face.

The smile is that of a contented man. He makes no grand promises and has only one wish, short or long term. “To get back into the Air India first team.”

Results: ONGC 6-3 Hockey Karnataka; PSB 2-1 Indian Railways; BPCL 5-1 Mumbai Hockey Association.