Bangalore: As Indian hockey revels in a rare high after the Junior Asia Cup triumph last week, forward S V Sunil has taken the glory and delight in his stride with commendable maturity.
Not one to show many emotions on the field, the 20-year-old was instrumental in the senior team’s run to the final in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh and then shouldered the responsibilities of an experienced player in the junior team with elan.
“The younger players came up to me and sought advice. It was a first-time experience for me and I did my best to help them out. Our focus always was to play as a team and that worked well,” said the lanky frontliner.
A team man to the core, SV, as he is known among his teammates, was shattered when he missed the Olympic qualifiers earlier this year due to an injury, which sidelined him for two months.
Hailing from a modest background in Kodagu, hockey was literally the bread and butter for Sunil and his family of nine members.
“Those days were tough and I had to practice hard to make a comeback. My family supported me. I am the only one who has taken up the game in my family. Thankfully, everything has worked out well,” said Sunil.
It was a stern test of his mental toughness to get back into the groove within no time.
A fast mover on the field, Sunil impresses one and all with his dribbling skills, but his biggest asset is to deliver the knockout punch when it matters the most.
“Sunil did not measure up to his reputation in the initial stages (of Junior Asia Cup) but he made amends with a fine show in the semifinal and final,” opined coach A K Bansal. The alert forward struck a crucial goal in the decider against South Korea when India were trailing 0-2 in the second-half.
With the likes of Sandeep Singh and Diwakar Ram serving India well in the drag-flicking department these days, the role of a forward is not just scoring goals and Bansal felt Sunil had done an “intelligent job”.
“Bansal sir asked me to go for goals whenever I felt there was a good chance of scoring. The other instruction was to look for penalty corners,” stated Sunil.
However, Bansal felt shooting was one area that Sunil had to improve. “Sunil needs no change in style of play. He has to show more concentration inside the circle to master the finishing touch. He is practising hard and I am sure he will do better in the future,” noted the coach.
Sunil, who is with Army Service Corps here, is expecting a promotion within a few months as a reward for his exploits in the Asia Cup triumph with the senior squad in Chennai last year.
The wiry lad, who plays for Army XI, is now eagerly looking forward to the state Super Division League in September to be held on the newly-laid turf in Madikeri, a stone’s throw away from his home.