VIEWS ON INDIVIDUAL PLALYERS WRITTEN TIME TO TIME ARE GROUPED HERE. THE VIEWS PERTAIN TO THE CONTEXT OF WRITING, CERTAINLY NOT THE FINAL
JUGRAJ SINGH: The answer for many unanswered questions?
Jugraj Singh, who endeared many a heart with spectacular goals through penalty corners at Bangalore U&I Cup and as a reward has been invited for the senior national camp in May this year is on spotlight at Sultan Azlan Cup. The 18-year old has scored an impeccable goal against Pakistan on Sunday. This was his first international goal at senior level as the Punjabi earned his senior spurs only at this ‘Asia’s Champions Trophy.’The goal enabled India to equalise the full-pledged Pakistan 3-3 in the 53rd minute.
If painstakingly compiled data bank with the possession of Hockey Year Book is true, he becomes the youngest ever Indian to score against senior Pakistan side. This is logic too as would never India field an 18-year 3-month colt before the champion side.
On the day of team departure at Delhi, this writer met him at the room of coach Baldev Singh at Nehru stadium. He was then collecting his kits from him. I had an opportunity to speak to him extensively just outside the room once his formalities with the coach were over.
“My idol in penalty flicks are my team-mate Baljit Singh Dhillon and Sohail Abbas”, he said when I asked about it specifically.
Interestingly, he was playing against one of his idols at Kuala Lumpur while home `idol’ has been rested after his World Cup Qualifer campaign.
As per the reports emanating from Kuala Lumpur, his guile flick took rival goalie Ahmed Alam by surprise. That means something. Ahmed is not only one of the best guardians in the contemporary scene and is also the Player of the last Sultan edition. A goal past such an awe-inspiring personality must merit some kudos. That too when the achiever is just at the age one goes for matriculation school.
Jugraj might be young, but not new to action packed hockey. He was part of the Under-16 team that won the inaugural Sub-Junior Asia Cup last year. This year he led India to title victory in the Youth Asia Cup at Ipoh in Malaysia. He scored 14 goals to become the top scorer of this tournament in which India defeated South Korea 7-1 in the final.
In the last Junior National Championship too he scored same number of goals to become the best player of the 32-team event.
“It seems 14 is my lucky number”, he smiled boyishly.
Rajinder Singh, who was the coach at Ipoh, declared that Jugraj is a future material and he had nearly scored 80% of penalty corners he negotiated in the competition. Jugraj is now a ray of hope insofar as penalty corner execution is concerned. Let us hope he is groomed for the future.
Jugraj, a close relative of former women captain Rajbir Kaur scored six goals in first four matches as a part of the Indian Junior team which created ripples in the Rs.10 lac prize money U& I Cup at Bangalore. Ind. Jrs won all their four matches before making it to the Semi-finals, including a heart-warming 3-2 win over Punjab Police. He got Rs.25,000 as a reward. He perhaps would not have imagined that time a better award was in store. The fact was the domestic giants Punjab Police waited for Jugraj to turn 18, and once that happened this year May, he was inducted into the side to rub shoulders with his idol Baljit Dhillon.
DINESH NAYAK
ATIENCE AND PERSISTANCE:
Patience and persistance are the virtues that steered Dinesh Nayak to see off the period of struggle with aplomb before he could emerge as one of the best defenders of the country. Not many youngsters who chose to dabble a career with hockey did in the contemporary scene figure in so many Junior and India ‘A’ teams for so long a time without getting due chance of breaking into the senior mould as was his case. It was all the more galling as our system allowed novices, who never played their age group international, graduating to senior engagements as if it’s their birth right.
Prospects of Dinesh was first observed in the Jr.Asian Zone World Cup Qualifier in 1992. Since then many of his team mates of the tournament were either elevated to top rank or faded into oblivion, but the talented defender was neither in nor out. He was asked to plough the tough grind of second rung Indian circuit. This spell went on and on, but the youngster held his form and nerve unaffected by those proverbial vagaries.
THE GROWTH:
It took more than normal time for Indian coaches to repose faith in the Kerala born and Karnataka grown player who at present represent Indian Bank and is posted in Tamil Nadu.
One of the potential lot from Karnataka who hit the hockey shores in droves in 90s under the tutelege of P.A. Raphael, he has been a fixture in almost all preparatory camps since early 90s.
A visit to Western Australia under trainer S.S. Sodhi before being taken