Time Indian hockey woke up: Jamie Dwyer

By Devadyuti Das, TNN | Jan 13, 2013, 12.03 AM IST

NEW DELHI: It’s no secret that Indian hockey’s glory days are behind them but there’s hope that the Hockey India League (HIL), which gets underway on Monday, could prove to be a big step for the sport in the country. Punjab Warriors’ Australian skipper Jamie Dwyer believes it is time for Indian hockey to rise from its slumber. “Indian hockey has been asleep for too long now. The HIL might just be the thing that shakes things up a bit,” Dwyer told TOI on Saturday.

The Warriors will take on Delhi Waveriders in the HIL opener at the Major Dhyanchand National Stadium on Monday. “HIL can prove to be tremendous for both Indian and world hockey. Some of the best players in the world will be seen in action and competing with them will help in the development of Indian players,” the Australian said.

The five-time World Player of the Year was one of the Marquee players in HIL auction and picked up by the Jaypee Group for $78,200. The Australian, who came back with a bronze from the London Olympics last year, believes the first challenge for all the teams will be to get to know each other.

“I arrived in this country a couple of days back and had a couple of practice sessions in Jalandhar. The last few days have been spent just getting to know each other, trying to find out about our strengths and weaknesses,” the 33-year-old striker said.

Dwyer believes that in many ways HIL is similar to the Indian Premier League. “It is very important to bond with your teammates quickly. There is no time to waste as no team can afford to start slowly,” he said.

The Aussie is also happy with the kind of money being offered in the inaugural HIL. “The HIL auction was a big eye-opener. This is best money that I have been offered for a month of hockey. I think the hockey players also work as hard as the cricketers and the footballers. Why shouldn’t we be paid as handsomely as them?” Dwyer asked.

On the strength of the team, skipper Dwyer said, “We have a very good forward line in players like SV Sunil, Shivendra Singh and Kieron Govers. The world’s best goalkeeper Jaap Stockmann is also in our team. Jaap’s role in front of the goal will be really crucial.”

Meanwhile, the Punjab Warriors said their base in Jalandhar will be shifted to Mohali come 2014. “Mohali will have a brand-new stadium with the country’s first blue turf by next year. We were supposed to be based there this year as well but since the stadium wasn’t ready we had to settle for Jalandhar. We should be able to build a bigger fan base once we shift to Mohali,” a Jaypee official said.

HIL gets associate sponsor

Hockey India announced on Saturday that Bharti Airtel Limited will be its associate sponsor for the league.