Viren Rasquinha welcomes Aga Khan revival
The revival of the all-India Aga Khan hockey tournament is a step in the right direction for the game, according to former Indian skipper Viren Rasquinha. The Indian Hockey Federation has deemed the tournament as ‘unauthorised’ but Rasquinha believes that the hockey players should not suffer because of the feud between the two bodies.
The Bombay Gymkhana are dealing with the FIH-recognised Hockey India and the clubs president Ashok Rao said, “We do not want to indulge in politics. As a club we just want to organise the tournament. Since HI is recognised by the international federation and selects the Indian team, we decided to deal with them.”
Rasquinha believes that the clubs association with the HI was the reason for IHF deeming the tournament unauthorised. “Something like this is bound to happen. Whichever body the club goes with, the other is likely to take step like this,” he said.
Rasquinha also expressed his surprise that Air India are not going to participate. “There is a difference between the grass and the astroturf but players not being able to switch between the two surfaces, is a complete myth. I have grown up playing on grass as have most of the Indian players so they should not have a problem.” Rasquinha also does not consider playing the game on grass a step backward. “There are very few hockey tournaments in the city. I would rather play on grass than not play at all.”