Oz trip was an eye-opener: Rueben Kedari

Sudheendra Tripathi, TNN

MUMBAI: The tension at Churchgate’s Mumbai Hockey Association (MHA) stadium is palpable. Committee members of the MHA are busy with meetings to decide on the course of action after the state government threatened to take over the body.

Oblivious of the tension around them, a bunch of young boys are happily training at the premises and one among them is on a high, having just returned after a rewarding three-month stint, playing for Gordon North Sydney Hockey Club in Sydney’s Premier League hockey tournament. Rueben Kedari, 21, who plays in the Mumbai Super League for Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilizers (RCF), says the stint was an eye-opener.

“The professionalism there is unbelievable,” he says.
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Kedari could have spent a year in the Sydney League, but delays in procuring an appropriate visa allowed him to play for just three months. While he rues the time away from action, the mid-fielder is happy with the experience gained. “I played 12 matches for them and they were happy with my performances and have even offered me a contract for next season. So, if all goes according to plan, I will be flying again to Sydney in March next year,” he says with a smile.

Kedari was first spotted by Marzaban Patel (Bawa as he is fondly called) some six years ago and under him his career began to take shape. He started playing in the lower division before graduating to the Super League where he played in the midfield for RCF.

“He definitely has potential, but the important thing is to raise the bar,” says Bawa, who has mentored Indian internationals such as Viren Rasquinha, Adrian D’Souza and more recently, Yuvraj Valmiki.