WHEN the Indian hockey team travel to Canada on Friday for their sevenmatch test series, there will be one team member who willdomorethanjustviefor the selectors’ attention. For 20-year-old DharamveerSingh,thistourisanopportunity to fulfill his promise to long-time mentor Baljit Singh Dadhwal, the injured goalkeeper who is in the US for his eye surgery, during hours of training together in Chandigarh. He has been drafted into the senior side for the first time.
“Bali paji was the first person I called after my selection. He told me I had to make sure I maintained my spot in the team for the 2010 World Cup. I will give my best during the Canada tour to make my case strong for the Champions Challenge and the World Cup,” says Dharamveer. The youngster has been in fine for over the past few years and was declared a the best player of the Under-19 four-na tion tournament in Singapore in 2005. H followed that up by being the second high est scorer in the U-19 six-nations tourna ment in Malaysia the following year.

Smooth graduation HE is confident of a smooth transition t theseniorlevel.”Thetournament in Singa pore gave me a chance to play against to Asian teams. We got the right kind of ex posure there. We were a bit disappointe after the early exit from the Junior Worl Cup,butIhopethejumptotheseniorleve is smooth for me,” says Dharamveer, wh wasalsodeclaredthebestupcomingtalen in the last edition of the Nehru Cup.

Dharamveer, who plays in the midfield is ready to change according to the need of the team. “We are very excited abou the new combinations which (coach Jose Brasa is trying out.”