Grandson’s son-of-soil game
SADAF MODAK
Mumbai, Jan. 6: Within 10 days of winning the Mumbai University senate elections, the student wing of the Yuva Sena, led by Bal Thackeray’s grandson Aditya, has meddled into the varsity hockey team’s selection.
And if the scoreboard is anything to go by — Mumbai thrashed Aurangabad 20-0 — the meddling may have worked.
Yesterday, on receiving complaints from members of the university hockey team about the inclusion of outstation players, the Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, affiliated to Shiv Sena youth wing Yuva Sena, approached the selectors and made a plea for “deserving local players”.
The team was to be selected for the all-India inter-university hockey tournament, which began in the city on Monday with 32 teams participating.
“Two weeks ago, a squad of 21 was chosen but some players had expressed dissatisfaction over the inclusion of five players, four of whom were from Haryana and one from Rajasthan,” said captain Yuvraj Walmiki, 21.
“It was not just an issue about local versus outstation players. We knew that some local players who had been left out had potential and should have had the first right of playing.”
Walmiki said these local players had represented the university in past tournaments.
The team approached the Bhartiya Vidyarthi Sena, whose newly elected senate member Pradeep Sawant spoke to the selectors ahead of the final team selection last evening.
“We wrote them a polite letter and told them the captain was not ready and the team was not united,” Sawant said.
“They heard us and the captain out and agreed to replace two of the five (outstation) players with local players. Looking at the way the team played its first match, one has to say our argument had some base.”
“We were having some fights till last night. But when we met in the morning before the match, I told the players ‘Let’s put the politics behind’,” said the captain.
“The united front that we put up won us the match and will see us through in the other matches as well.”
Walmiki is hopeful that Mumbai can clinch the title, which it had last won in 1977.