Indian Express: Gurinder Singh set to defend India’s hockey pride at Commonwealth Games in Australia

Nitin Sharma

Earlier this week, the 23-year-old defender Gurinder Singh was named in the 18-member senior Indian hockey team for next month’s Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia.

MORE THAN a decade ago, when a young Gurinder Singh lost his father Kulwant Singh in a road accident near his village Samrala, Ropar, the youngster had just started playing hockey at the Hawks Club ground in the village. With his family into farming and having an income of less than Rs 3 lakh for the three members of the joint family, Gurinder made his choice to continue with hockey. Earlier this week, the 23-year-old defender was named in the 18-member senior Indian hockey team for next month’s Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia.

“I had just started playing hockey when my father died in a road accident when a fully loaded tractor-trolley plunged into a canal. We are a joint family and all of them have been into farming. But, my father always wanted me to pursue whatever I liked and after his death, my mother told me to concentrate on my game. My uncles and cousins would always do my work and supported me. Players like the 1972 Olympics bronze medal winning team member Brigadier Gurcharan Singh, 1980 Olympic gold medal winning team member Rajinder Singh Senior and 2014 Asian Games gold medallist Dharamvir Singh, besides many other players, have played for the Hawks Club and I will also try to give off my best during the Commonwealth Games,” said 23-year-old Gurinder Singh while speaking to Chandigarh Newsline from Bengaluru.

Gurinder, who had initially trained under coach R S Rana at the club, later joined the Surjeet Hockey Academy, Jalandhar, under coach Avtar Singh and also starred for Punjab in the sub-junior and junior national title wins. The youngster was member of the Indian junior team, too, which won the Junior Hockey World Cup in 2016 before making his debut for the senior team in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year. Earlier, this year, the defender played in the four nations cup in New Zealand and it also meant that Gurinder’s family followed his matches with keen interest. “Gurinder hamesha hockey match hi dekhda si. Pind ch vi hockey stick te astro turf hi isdi life hai (Gurinder would often watch hockey matches. When he is in the village, he only talks about hockey stick and astro-turf). His father would have been the proudest person to see him play in the CWG and we want Gurinder to return with the gold medal from Australia,” said Gurinder’s mother, 48-year-old Baljeet Kaur.

Hawks Club have got a six-a-side astro turf apart from a hall for players. Recently, the club completed its golden jubilee and also installed floodlights at the Hawks Stadium. “Besides Sansarpur, this ground is one of the oldest in Punjab. We have got a small astro turf and we host a hockey festival every year. I remember the day Gurinder’s father died and hse was crying during the bhog ceremony. I told him that that he would play for India one day and his CWG selection means a lot for the village. Recently, we honoured 21 Olympians from Punjab and I am sure Gurinder will also play in the Olympics,” said advocate S S Saini, secretary of the Hawks Club.