Hockey legend Claudius turns 83, confesses to be Sachin fan
KOLKATA: Legendary hockey player Leslie Claudius on Thursday turned 83 in a quite manner away from home at his relative’s place in Perth, Australia but he could not escape from Indian Premier League buzz and thoughts on Sachin Tendulkar.
Talking over phone on this occasion, the former India captain, whose name is etched in history along with Udham Singh for having won the maximum number of Olympic medals (three gold, one silver) in hockey, rued that nobody remembers him anymore in India forget about his birthdays.
“It’s a biggest surprise to have been remembered on my birthday. Nobody remembers about us anymore, so there is hardly any celebration,” Claudius said, pleasantly surprised at the call.
But switched to a conversation on cricket, Claudius turned out to a huge Sachin Tendulkar fan.
“No doubt, God is great but Sachin Tendulkar supercedes God when he plays. By doing impossible things, like notching 200 not out (in ODI) at his age is just unimaginable,” he said.
Asked to compare Tendulkar with Sir Don Bradman, Claudius said, “Sachin will be the greatest player ever no doubt. He is playing so fluent at this age. He has such an array of strokes. He is a freak. With age, he is getting better.
“The greatest quality in him (Sachin) is that he is so humble, a thorough gentleman. Youngsters should learn this from him. When you do something with dedication and perseverance, even if you do not reach great heights you will end up being satisfied,” Claudius said.
The octogenarian hockey legend rued that after India’s 1983 cricket World Cup victory, hockey declined in India. He, however, was all praise of the IPL concept.
“With the rise of cricket after the 1983 World Cup success, hockey is the least favoured sport. But IPL is huge success. It’s fast and nice. We get to see a mixture of players from all parts of the world and it’s played in the right spirit. The atmosphere is terrific,” he said.
Recollecting the highs and lows in his glorious hockey career spanning from 1948 to 1965, Claudius said losing to Pakistan in the final of the 1960 Rome Olympics that denied him a record four successive gold would be the biggest disappointment in his illustrious career.
“We were going through an amazing run but only to go down to Pakistan. It’s a very sad thing,” he said.
“But I have no regrets in life. When I first played for India in 1948, it was a great moment that I will continue to cherish. It was a glorious era when in India’s sporting history. I am really proud to be a part of it.”
Claudius said he is yet to recover from the shock of his son Robert’s accidental death in 1978 that had brought an end to a budding hockey player.
“He was a bright prospect, he was even better than me. It was few days after returning from 1978 World Cup in Mexico he left us. He had gone with his friend in a scooter when he died after a truck collision. He was 20, I’m yet to recover from it,” Claudius said.