Making a mark

K. KEERTHIVASAN

Gurpreet Singh has been a major influence for Pune Strykers in the World Series Hockey with his drag-flicks.

Gurpreet Singh loves Cristiano Ronaldo for the footballer’s positive attitude and his penchant for goal-scoring. The 25-year-old drag-flick specialist of Pune Strykers has followed these in his chosen sport that has made him a huge hit in the World Series Hockey.

Team work

With eight goals in his kitty, Gurpreet is next only to Syed Imran Warsi of Pakistan (12) in the top goal-scorers list. “It feels great to score goals in penalty corners. I want to play well and keep scoring so that my team does better,” says Gurpreet. In modern hockey, penalty corners have come to symbolise a team’s success quotient. Every team wishes to hire a marquee player to take drag flicks. Chennai Cheetahs has Warsi, Chandigarh Comets has Gurjinder Singh (5) while Karnataka Lions has Len Aiyappa (4). Sher-e-Punjab’s Harpreet Singh (2) and Delhi Wizards Vikramjeet Singh (2) are showing promise.

To further the point, in WSH, 40 per cent of the goals were from penalty corners. Pune Strykers has struck 20 goals in six matches (before its match against Karnataka Lions) out of which 11 were field goals and nine PC goals, which included seven from Gurpreet, which proves the youngster’s influence in the team.

The team has done reasonably well in WSH, thanks to the excellent conversion rate in penalty corners. But by his exalted standards, Gurpreet fared badly against Chennai Cheetahs.

Strykers coach Gundeep Kumar picked as first choice Diwakar Ram in penalty corners and Gurpreet next in his team. When Diwakar pulled out of the tournament after FIH, the international body for hockey, said WSH is not sanctioned by it, Gurpreet came into the scene. And has put in a stand-out show.

Born in the Sirsa District of Haryana where Gurpreet did his early schooling, it was only when he joined the Namdhari Sports Academy (Ludhiana) eleven years ago that his skill and talent came to the fore. “After seeing my cousin brothers play, I developed an interest in the game,” he says.

Under the guidance of former Indian players Baljeet Singh Dhillon and Didar Singh, Gurpreet started to take interest and train hard in drag flicks. “Watching Baljit Saab I learnt a lot. Didar Saab taught me the nuances of the game. Both have been very helpful to me,” he says.

Naturally, he is all praise for WSH. “It is a platform for young talent. Just like Indian Premier League in cricket. Players like me would have gone unnoticed if not for WSH,” says Gurpreet, employed with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (Chandigarh).

Gundeep Kumar says Gurpreet’s strength is his power and angles that come with the right technique. “He is very good and he uses his strength to unleash powerful shots. He has a bright future,” says the coach of Strykers.

Ken Perreira, the skipper of Strykers, reveals nearly 40 per cent of the goals are scored through penalty corners. “Its importance cannot be overstated. As far as Gurpreet is concerned, he has been very consistent. He is quick, fast and his flick is one of the best in WSH. We hope he continues his good show,” says Perreira.

Playing for India is Gurpreet’s aim. But with Hockey India taking a strong stand against players playing in WSH, does he have a chance at all? He smiles and says “I don’t know.” Being a fan of the Portugal captain and Real Madrid star, Gurpreet knows it’s better to stay positive and hope for the best.