You just cannot write off the unpredictable Pakistanis!

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Unpredictability has always been synonymous with the Pakistan cricket team over the years. On one day, they can be just brilliant and on another day they can be absolutely poor. The world cricket has learned to accept the unpredictable ways of the men in green. The Misbal-ul-Haq-led Pakistan side were pitted in a tough pool alongside the likes of defending champions India, South Africa and West Indies. Lack of consistent international exposure has hit Pakistan cricket hard over the years and with no foreign team touring Pakistan citing security concerns and opting to play in neutral venues like the UAE.

Pakistan team is far from having a ‘settled’ look with too much of chopping and changing happening on a regular basis. The team is bereft of quality of the team that won the 1992 World Cup and is probably banking on a few guys to do the job. Skipper Misbah and Shahid Afridi are now ageing and with no youngster really stamping their authority in the side, the going is always going to be stern for Pakistan. Given this backdrop, the Pakistan suffered a listless opening game defeat against arch-rivals India and later against West Indies, which put them under severe pressure. They were given a scare by Zimbabwe before romping home – their first win of the tournament. The win injected some dose of confidence in the side as they went on to pip the UAE and the best of all – stunning tournament favourites South Africa in
Auckland to literally assure their quarterfinal berth.

Although Pakistan’s fightback in the World Cup was crystal clear, the team haven’t shown signs that they are playing as a unit. Skipper Misbah has been in prime form with four half-centuries – most by any batter in the World Cup and if you take him out of the equation there is not much to write home about the Pakistan batting department. Ahmed Shehzad has looked good but hasn’t been able to get the big knocks, which would release the pressure on their middle-order. In fact, the opening slot has been a concern for Pakistan with southpaw Nasir Jamshed going through the horrors in the three games he played and was replaced by wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed, who scored a breezy 49 opening the innings against South Africa and later gobbled six catches to bag the Man of the Match award. Ukmar Akmal also hasn’t fired as the team management would have desired and hopefully being released from keeping duties (Sarfaraz kept wickets against South Africa) will allow him to focus more on his batting.

Pakistan fans will be happy with the resolve the team have shown in the last three games, but it will not be easy for their batting department going into the knockout phase as there is overreliance on Misbah to hold fort. Veteran Shahid Afridi has a key role to play – he can come with those lethal cameos as well as chip in with handy wickets with the ball.

It’s the Pakistan bowling which has really come off well. The seven-footer left-arm Mohammed Irfan has troubled all batsmen with his awkward bounce and movement and it is not surprising why batters are struggling to get on top of it. Another left-armer Wahab Riaz has also hit a purple patch with the ball and even with the bat, scoring his maiden ODI fifty. Rahat Ali also made an impression against South Africa in Auckland.

Maybe Pakistan’s batting can take a lesson or two from their bowlers – the way the likes of Irfan and Wahab have stood up to the challenges. We all know that Pakistan can be a dangerous side and upset the applecart of any side on their side. They seriously need to fix their batting unit and if they manage to do it, they would give all teams a run for their money.

BCCI must send out strong message to finger-wagging Virat Kohli

No cricketer is above the game. It really doesn’t matter how much of a presence the player enjoys in the side – so what if he is the captain or destined to be the ‘future captain’ in all formats. Quite clearly, India’s ace batsman Virat Kohli’s finger-wagging gesture at an Indian journalist in Perth during a nets session has raised more eyebrows than one would have expected initially.

There is a general feeling that Kohli will get away without any reprimand or punishment because of the sheer weight of the bulk of runs he has scored for India over the years. It is imperative for the BCCI to step in and serve out a message loud and clear that no individual is bigger than the game.

Of course, India has a crucial World Cup tie against West Indies and the board could see sense in not dwelling on this issue in the middle of the marquee event. The newly-elected BCCI President Jagmohan Dalmiya and BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur should not miss out on this opportunity to send out a strong message to the players, but they at the same time won’t want this issue to be a distraction for the players.

Kohli must apologize to aggrieved scribe

The choice of invectives hurled by Kohli at the Hindustan Times journalist was certainly uncalled for. The fact that Kohli’s outburst later panned out to be a case of mistaken identity cannot justify his act. Kohli was apparently livid with a scribe for a story written on him in a national daily. Just because the India’s batting mainstay apologized through another journalist once he realized that he was not the intended scribe, his act cannot be pardoned.
The focus is on the World Cup and no distractions should be encouraged, but the team management must talk to Kohli and ask him to restrain from such acts in future. The Indian Test skipper must tender an apology to the aggrieved journalist and that is the only way the issue can be given a ‘full stop.’

Lot to offer Indian cricket

One would expect the likes of coach Duncan Fletcher, team director Ravi Shastri and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to have a word with Kohli and offer some ‘anger management’ wisdom. There is nothing wrong in being belligerent but when one crosses the line of decency, that aggression does not remain one’s strong point.
Kohli is poised to be the Indian captain in all formats and it is important that he curbs his anger as he has a lot to offer to Indian cricket. In India, we tend to treat cricketers as demigods who can do no ‘wrong’ – what they say are God’s last words on earth. One hopes a few better words issue from Kohli in the near future.
It is crucial that the BCCI makes Kohli understand that the board will not refrain from any disciplinary action if such an act is repeated in future.

India must be wary of 'Gayle' factor

 
The cynics were at their best – lampooning the national team after a wretched performance in the tri-series involving Australia and England. And when the first two games of the World Cup were up against the likes of arch-rivals Pakistan and South Africa, there was no way that India, who were enduring a slump in form, could take it easy. Thoughts about starting slowly and gradually building intensity as the tournament wears on were out of the question as defeats against these teams would have put their quarterfinal hopes in peril.

Public perception can be strange – at the start of the marquee event we were talking about whether India are good enough to win the World Cup and come two resounding wins, the same set of people were pondering over who would be India’s quarterfinal opponents just after the team had only played two of their six group games. Many are billing India to go the distance this time around, even though cricket is a funny game and it hardly takes time for a hero to turn into a zero.

India and West Indies have had contrasting campaigns so far

Given this context, India’s match against West Indies is a must-win call for the men from the Caribbean, who have been erratic in the tournament. The Windies, after their stunning loss to Ireland, clobbered Zimbabwe on the back of Chris Gayle’s swashbuckling double ton – the first ever in the World Cup. The ‘Gayle’ factor is so pronounced that the West Indies are called ‘unpredictable’ largely because the southpaw can cut any reputed bowling attack to ribbons. Of course, it’s a different story when Gayle perishes cheaply.
All seems to be hunky-dory with the Indians so far. The batting department is looking solid – Virat Kohli is at his consistent best, while Shikhar Dhawan, Ajinkya Rahane and Suresh Raina are all among the runs. Rohit Sharma – probably the only one to press on the run meter, got among the runs against the UAE and the bowling unit looks neat and tidy.
The combination of Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Umesh Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin has delivered so far and it remains to be seen if they can sustain it going forward.
All is going well for India, but let’s not dismiss the ‘Gayle’ factor. We have seen so many ‘Gayle Storms’ ravaging teams across the globe, the most recent victims being Zimbabwe. India cannot afford to be complacent just because their quarterfinal berth is almost assured as the team would like to go into the knockout phase with the right frame of mind. Neutralizing ‘Gayle Storm’ should be paramount on India’s mind.

I wanted to quit swimming after 2010 Asian Games: Virdhawal Khade

This piece was published in Sportskeeda

Virdhawal Khade is riding high after a commendable performance at the recently-held 35th National Games in Kerala. The 23-year-old Kolhapur lad emerged as the fastest swimmer of the event winning the 50 m freestyle event pushing Madhya Pradesh’s Aaron D’Souza to the second spot – an event the youngster has been winning since 2005. The Maharastra swimmer even set a new record, bettering his own record of 0:23.08 set in the 2011 National Games held in Jharkhand.
Virdhawal won two more gold medals in the men’s 50 m butterfly and men’s 4 X 200 m relay freestyle events, besides bagging silver medals in the men’s 100 m freestyle and men’s 4 X 100 m relay freestyle events for an impressive haul of 5 medals. The Indian ace, who trains at Bengaluru-based Dolphin Aquatics Center under coach Nihar Ameen, talks about his plans for the 2016 Rio Olympics and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q. You won five medals including three gold medals at the recent 35th National Games in Kerala. How would you sum up your performance?

I was expecting to fare well in the National Games considering the kind of training I have put in over the past several months. Winning five medals – three gold medals – is indeed satisfying for me, and will stand me in good stead for the future.

Q. Do you think there is a need for more top-level swimming events like the National Games for Indian swimming to prosper?

Absolutely! We need to have more top-level swimming events especially for the seniors. Maybe 3-4 big meets annually will do a world of good to our swimmers. Sometimes we train hard and yet don’t know if everything is going the right way and where we actually stand, so it is important to have more top-notch swimming events like the National Games.

Q. Sajan Prakash had a splendid 35th National Games bagging a bucketful of medals. How do you assess him?
He is a talented youngster and is a good prospect for the future.

Q. There is a line of thinking that there is dearth of quality swimming coaches in India. Your thoughts.

It is true that we have paucity of good coaches. The country has only two good coaches in Nihar Ameen and Pradeep Kumar, both based in Bengaluru. The point is those swimmers who want to pursue swimming and are talented suffer due to lack of quality coaching and many of these swimmers may not have the wherewithal to come down to Bengaluru to train under Nihar Ameen or Pradeep Kumar.

Q. Non-cricket sports don’t quite attract the corporate houses. How do you manage all your training expenses?

Well, I work in the revenue department of the Maharashtra government and half of my expenses are met from my salary, while my dad chips in with the rest. I need to spend around eighty to ninety thousand per month on training, diet, etc. My dad has been a pillar of support for me all these years and I owe a lot to him.

Q. How difficult it is to stay motivated to pursue a sport like swimming?

Of course, it can be a challenge when you know no corporate houses are going to lend their assistance . I hope sponsors come forward to support swimming. I won bronze at the 2010 Asiad and was on a high, but soon felt dejected as I did not get enough recognition. I wanted to quit swimming, but my coach Nihar Ameen and my dad kept me going and today I’m swimming strongly thanks to their unstinted motivation.

Q. Where do you think Indian swimmers stand when you look at the world’s top swimmers?

Most of these top swimmers are genetically superior to us and they have a robust swimming culture – they have a strong swimming culture in place. I’m not saying we don’t have, but just that swimming needs to be encouraged more for India to really make it big on the world stage.

Q. The 2016 Rio Olympics is not far away. What plans you have up your sleeve?

I took a two-week break after the 35th National Games and now training hard. The Olympics qualifiers will be held in Russia in July, hopefully I will do well and seal an Olympic berth.

Q. How many years of swimming do you think you have in you?

I hope to keep swimming at the competitive level at least till the 2018 Asian Games and will take it from there.

Case of so near yet so far for Jaypee Warriors

What more Jaypee Punjab Warriors could have done to break their jinx of winning the Hero Hockey India League? It was a case of so near and yet so far for the Barry Dancer-coached Punjab outfit as they were denied a shot at glory by Ranchi Rays in an exhilarating penalty shootout at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi.

Missed chances cost the Punjab Warriors

Unlike the first two editions, the Warriors looked the team to beat in the tournament despite their twin defeats at the hands of Ranchi Rays in the league phase. The Warriors’ two wins over reigning champions Delhi Waveriders in the league phase was a fair indicator of the kind of form they were in. And the script seemed to go their way when the Warriors took the lead through Kieren Govers before the Rays hit back. The Punjab side again regained the lead only to surrender it almost immediately. Clearly, the Warriors had the match in their grasp, and when a team twice takes a lead in a final match only to surrender, probably they did not deserve to win the trophy.

Of course, the Warriors suffered a psychological blow when their inspirational skipper Jamie Dwyer had to give the final game a miss owing to an injury, but that cannot be used as an alibi for the defeat. The Warriors have so much flair in their side. The likes of Jaap Stockmann, SV Sunil, Dharamvir Singh, Rob Hammond, Chris Ciriello, Kieren Govers and Augustin Mazzilli can instill fear factor in the minds of the opposition. One thought that the moment the Warriors allowed Barry Middleton to equalize for the Rays, the match went out of their grasp. In fact, the Rays appeared more pumped up in the shootout even as their players held their nerves to come through the shootout with aplomb.
As they say in sport, there is always a next time and Jaypee Punjab Warriors would hopefully takes the positives from their runners-up finish and emerge even stronger in the 2016 edition.

2015 Hero Hockey India League Stats file

First Goal of 2015 HIL: Lucas Villa (Kalinga Lancers vs Ranchi Rays)

Total Number of Goals Scored: 137

Biggest Winning Margin: Jaypee Punjab Warriors beat Delhi Waveriders 7-0

Total Number of Matches Played: 34

First Yellow Card of 2015 HIL: Mandeep Singh (Ranchi Rays vs Kalinga Lancers)

Player Scoring the 100th Goal: Gurjinder Singh (Kalinga Lancers)

First Drawn Game of 2015 HIL: 6th game between Ranchi Rays & Delhi Waveriders (2-2)

First Green Card of 2015 HIL: Devinder Walmiki (Kalinga Lancers vs Ranchi Rays)

First Penalty Corner Goal: Ashley Jackson (Ranchi Rays) vs Kalinga Lancers)

First Penalty Stroke Goal: Jeroen Hertzberger (UP Wizards vs Delhi Waveriders)

First Hat-trick of 2015 HIL: Ashley Jackson (Ranchi Rays vs Kalinga Lancers)

Top Goal-Scorer: 12 Ashley Jackson (Ranchi Rays)

First Foreign Player to score a goal this season: Ashley Jackson

First Franchise To Win HIL Twice: Ranchi franchise (owners of course changed in the 2015 edition)

Team Scoring Most Goals: 30 Jaypee Punjab Warriors

Team Leaking Most Goals: 27 Dabang Mumbai

Team Engaged In Most Draws: 4 Delhi Waveriders

Indian wrestlers should win 3-4 medals in Rio, says legendary Satpal

Legendary wrestler Satpal Singh – more famously known as Mahabali Satpal – has extra reasons to be happy at the age of 59. The celebrated former Asiad gold medallist and illustrious coach was recently bestowed with Padma Bhushan for his unstinted contribution towards Indian wrestling. Satpal had bagged a bronze in the 1974 Asiad, silver in 1978 Bangkok Asiad and a coveted gold in 1982 Delhi Asiad.


Satpal also won three consecutive silver medals in the 1974 Commonwealth Games (Christchurch), 1978 Commonwealth Games (Edmonton) and 1982 Commonwealth Games (Brisbane).
Satpal, who is currently serving as Assistant Director of Education, Delhi, also featured in the 1972 Munich Olympics, where he won four bouts before bowing out. He was selected for the 1976 Montreal Olympics but did not play as the Indian team was not send for that edition. Satpal also took part in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. The former Indian stalwart coached Sushil Kumar for the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Sushil Kumar is the son-in-law of Satpal, having married the latter’s daughter Savi Solanki. Satpal, the current School Games Federation of India (SGFI) President, spoke about Indian wrestling and much more in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

Q You had earlier won the Arjuna Award, Padma Shri, Dronacharya Award and recently you were bestowed with Padma Bhushan. How does it feel?

I’m really elated to be conferred with Padma Bhushan and want to thank the government of India for the honour. It is difficult to express my feelings in words as I just feel that the award is recognition of what I have done for Indian wrestling both as a player and coach.

Q How do you assess the state of Indian wrestling?

I think Indian wrestling is in good health. I’m training a lot of youngsters in the age-group of 11-12, who are training hard and should be ready for the 2020 Olympics. These young boys have a steely determination to win a medal at the Olympics and they tell me during training sessions that medal in Olympics is what all they aspire for.

Q Do you think wrestling icon Sushil Kumar has breathed life into the sport in the country?

Oh yes! Sushil has shown that with hard work and dedication one can do wonders. Winning back-to-back medals in Olympics is not easy and he has attained that. Yogeshwar Dutt’s medal in London Olympics also gave boost to Indian wrestling.

Q There is no doubt that Indian wrestling is on a sound footing. Don’t you think wrestling talents are only emerging from states like Delhi, Haryana, UP and Maharashtra barring a few others?

Look, wrestlers from these states are more formidable than most other states. It will be wrong to say that wrestling has not spread across the country. At the Senior Nationals we have 28-30 wrestlers taking part in each weight category, which just shows there is no shortage of participation of wrestlers from other states, just that they have to upgrade their performance with better training and facilities.

Q Is there enough incentive for a youngster to take up wrestler?

Why not? Wrestlers performing in major international meets are offered good government jobs and attractive endorsement deals. You must have seen Sushil Kumar as an example. He won the World Championship besides two Olympic medals and corporate houses are lining up to sign him for advertisements.

Q There was a time when Indian wrestlers did all kinds of homework to prepare for international meets – do you think world’s top wrestling nations like Russia, US, Mongolia, Iran, Japan and Korea are more wary of Indian grapplers now?

I agree that there was a time when our grapplers used to get overawed by the opposition but not anymore. Indian wrestlers are as good as wrestlers of these countries. Every wrestling nation is watching out for India ever since we starting winning Olympic medals in 2008.

Q The 2016 Rio Olympics is not far away. How many medals India can expect at this event?

I can confidently say that we will bag three or four medals in wrestling. I will not be surprised that most of it is gold.

Q You are School Games Federation of India (SGFI) President. How much is wrestling promoted at the school level?

The school-level wrestling in India has decent standards. Many current Indian wrestlers have come through the school wrestling platform and it is a nice window of an opportunity for grapplers to have a proper learning curve. I also promoted women wrestling at the school level and so overall wrestling is spreading fast at the school level.

Q You have featured in two Olympics (1972 and 1980), three Asian Games (1974, 1978, 1982) and three Commonwealth Games (1974, 1978, 1982). Which is the one bout you cherish the most?

Every winning bout is special for me, but I would say that my gold medal bout in the 1982 Delhi Asian Games was the best. I was up against Mongolia’s Dashdorjiin Tserentogtokh, who was the 1981 world champion. It was a tough bout which I won in front of my home crowd.

No player is unbeatable: Sourabh Varma

Injuries can be a dampener for a player, but there are times when a player derives an extra dose of inspiration and steps up his game by a few notches. Indian shuttler Sourabh Varma apparently did the same winning the men’s singles gold medal for his home state Madhya Pradesh at the 35th National Games – the only gold for his state – getting the better of Haryana’s Akshit Mahajan in the final showdown.

The 22-year-old Madhya Pradesh lad cornered glory at the 35th National Games in Kerala despite carrying an elbow injury, which got even more severe after his semifinal match. Sourabh, who is ranked 66 in the world, spoke about his plans for 2015 and much more in an exclusive interview.

Q You won the gold at the recent National Games for Madhya Pradesh - the only yellow metal for your state despite carrying an injury. Tell us your experiences?

It was not easy to play with an injured elbow. I was experiencing little pain from the start of the tournament, which aggravated after my semifinal match. But I did not want to miss out on an opportunity of fetching a gold medal in National Games, so I just focused on giving my best despite the injury.

Q How would you sum up your singles performance in 2014?

Well, 2014 had been a good year. I started the year with bagging two international titles – Austria and Iran – followed by a runners-up finish at the Malaysia GPG. I was also part of the national team for the Thomas Cup and Asian Games, which gave me immense satisfaction.

Q Which were your most cherished wins last year?

Winning tournaments in Iran and Austria and my runners-up finish at the Malaysia GPG.

Q You had once reached a world ranking of 30 but now you are outside the top-50. What would you attribute to the fall in ranking?

I don't think much about ranking but obviously I fell short in giving my best there.

Q What are the grey areas you think you want to work on?

I think I need to be strong in every area of the game because at the world level every player has a different style of game.

Q The year 2011 was a turning point in your career - you won the senior nationals as well as your first international singles crown?

Yes, it was great year indeed. My performance that year really boosted my confidence.

Q Who according to you is the most difficult shuttler to play against?

In reality, nobody is difficult to play. With the right amount of concentration and drive any player can be defeated.

Q How do you look at the state of Indian badminton?

It has improved immensely over the past couple of years. People are becoming more familiar to the game and the BAI has also taken great initiatives to popularize the game. I’m happy with the progress Indian Badminton is making.

Q You trained under the watchful eyes of Pullela Gopichand at his Hyderabad-based academy. How has been the experience of training under him?

The experience has been good. After joining the academy I improved my game a lot; whatever I have achieved at the senior level till now, its because of Gopi sir's guidance.

Q What goals you have for the year 2015?

I want to break in the top-20 by the end of the year.

Q How do you unwind when you are free from training and playing commitments?

I like listening to music.

Tom Boon: A big disappointment for Dabang Mumbai

Tom Boon was touted to be the ‘most happening player’ of the 2015 Hero Hockey India League – why not, after all he is the league’s most costliest player having being bought for $103,00 by Dabang Mumbai. The 25-year-old Belgium goal-poacher was expected to set the Hero Hockey India League on fire with his prodigious goal-scoring skills, but he has been a big disappointment for Dabang Mumbai in the 2015 edition.

One is not trying to be too critical of Boon’s performance as this was his first stint in the HIL after having given the first two editions a miss. Ask any hockey lover in India and the common refrain will be that he has cut a disappointing figure in the 2015 HIL.

One has to understand that foreign players may at times find it challenging to forge a ‘productive combination’ with the Indian players, who form a large chunk of every franchise. This can happen because training camps of teams are held for a short duration. Of course, as a professional every player must be prepared to cope with challenges and Boon having played for various club sides, will know that.

Let’s not hesitate in saying that Dabang Mumbai – owned by DoIT Sports Management – appears more formidable than erstwhile Dabur Group-owned Mumbai Magicians and they have a pretty decent coaching staff in place with German junior team's head coach Valentin Altenburg alongside former India captain and Arjuna awardee Viren Rasquinha as its strategic advisor and mentor, another former India skipper Anil Aldrin as assistant coach and former striker Edgar Mascrenhas as its goalkeeper coach.

Boon, for the record, scored once in their 1-2 defeat at the hands of Ranchi Rays, but by and large hasn’t been able to live up to the expectations of his team-mates and supporters. The biggest hindrance for Dabang Mumbai has been Boon’s inability to convert penalty corners – a trait he has become renown across the globe.

We all know how Boon played a big role in Belgium finishing a creditable fifth at the 2012 London Olympics and has been one among a string of players who have behind Belgium’s climb up the performance and ranking ladders of world hockey.
One would have expected Boon to give penalty corner-taking opportunities to his junior short corner team-mate Harmanpreet Singh simply because he did not appear to be at his best. As a senior pro, Boon kept taking short corners and missing them as well, while Harmanpreet did score a few times from the set-pieces whenever he got an opportunity.

As they say class is permanent and form is temporary and Boon for now seems to be not at his best. But he did show glimpses of his prowess during the league game against Uttar Pradesh Wizards in Lucknow, where he really came into his own. Although goals eluded him, Boon was firing on all cyclinders, a match Dabang Mumbai lost due to a late strike by the Wizards.

Call it a coincidence or anything – Tom Boon is no exception – every year the costliest player in the HIL hasn’t quite been able to live up to their price tag. Dutch veteran Teun de Nooijer was a big flop in the 2013 edition, while India’s Ramandeep Singh was a let-down in the 2014 edition (of course Ramandeep has performed well in the 2015 edition).

Looking to raise performance bar: Sandeep

Sandeep Singh turned out for now-defunct Dabur Mumbai Magicians in the inaugural HIL season and switched loyalties to home franchise Jaypee Punjab Warriors in the 2014 edition, and both occasions he emerged as the top goal-scorer.

The Haryana Police DSP is on the cusp of becoming the top goal-scorer for the third consecutive year with 8 goals so far, playing a key role in the Jaypee Punjab Warriors’ impressive run in the 2015 HIL.

Sandeep talks about his HIL performance in an exclusive interview.

Q You have been quite consistent with your penalty corners in the Hero Hockey India League – you are on the verge of becoming the top goal-scorer in the HIL for the third consecutive time. Your thoughts.

I’m looking to deliver for my team whether it is scoring goals from short corners or blunting the opposition attacks in defence. I’m looking to raise the performance bar and there is always so much to learn from each game.

Q Do you think your performance in the HIL may open the window of national selection for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup?

Well, I’m focused on the Hero Hockey India and would like to do my best so that my team – Jaypee Punjab Warriors – wins the HIL after we came close to doing it last season. HIL is my prime focus and I’m not thinking of anything else at the moment.

Q There is a lot of completion in the Indian team for drag-flickers – Rupinder and Raghunath are shaping up well and then we have the likes of Gurjinder and Harmanpreet waiting in the wings.

Competition will always be there and is good for the team. I’m just focused on my game and as far as national selection is concerned, I’m not thinking about it as my focus is on the HIL.

Q Most of the foreign coaches like Michael Nobbs and Terry Walsh have felt that your defending skills are hindering your chances of playing in the national team.

Look, no player is complete and it is a learning curve and I’m no different. I have gained experience over the years, but learning will keep happening in every game. I like to improve all the time and never let complacency creep into my system.

Q You have played in various foreign hockey leagues. How would you rate the Hero Hockey India League?

I think Hero Hockey India League is the world’s best hockey league. The world hockey’s who who are taking part in HIL and the league has raised the profile of Indian hockey.

Q Do you think the Indian youngsters are benefiting from the HIL?

HIL has provided a wonderful platform for Indian youngster to showcase their skills, gain experience of playing top players and can be serve as a good supply line for the national team. I’m confident that the bench strength of the national team will grow in coming years thanks to HIL.

Q  Can we hope to see Sandeep Singh playing in the 2016 Rio Olympics?

Like I have said, I am only focusing on HIL, Rio Olympics is still some way away. I don’t want to talk on selection matters.

Q How are things shaping up on the movie that will be made on your playing career.

Well, the work on the movie will happen once the HIL is over. I will talk about that once the HIL ends.

Ranchi Rays revolves around ‘pivot’ Ashley Jackson

There is something about the Ranchi franchise in the Hero Hockey India League that endears you. Whether it was the erstwhile Ranchi Rhinos owned by Patel-PS Group and Uniexcel Group or the current Ranchi Rays owned by Indian World Cup cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sahara Adventure Sports Limited, this only franchise from the eastern city of the country has invariably made fans sit up and take notice of them.

The crowd support for the Ranchi franchise has gone a step ahead of others. And there is man by the name of Ashley Jackson, who has barely put a foot wrong in the 2015 Hero Hockey India League.

We all know that Ashley Jackson is a class act and it doesn’t need overemphasizing that. The English playmaker is one of those rare talents, who can man the midfield admirably, double up as a forward and is also an expert drag-flicker – a trait normally associated with fullbacks. The amount of value Ashley Jackson lends to any side be it at the club or international level is immense.

Ranchi Rays were so well served by German Moritz Fuertse in the first two editions of the HIL so much so that all the good work of Ashley Jackson was getting overshadowed. The 2015 edition saw Moritz Fuertse give the HIL a miss due to pressing commitments and Ashley Jackson was handed the captain armband.

The England medio seems to have relished the opportunity of leading from the front in the 2015 HIL edition, literally making his presence felt in each of the nine games Ranchi Rays have featured in so far.

Jackson has impressed with solid passing play besides rushing back to rescue the defence when in distress and exuding fair amount of consistency in scoring from short corners. His hat-trick in Rays’ 4-0 over Kalinga Lancers in Ranchi was just superb and his consistent striking prowess means he is the tournament’s top goal-scorer alongside Sandeep Singh – both scoring eight goals each.

Jackson’s biggest challenge is to shepherd his side in the final of the 2015 edition and help them take a shot at glory for the second time. We all know Ranchi Rays have enough ammunition to do it, and in Ashley Jackson, they have someone who can deliver the killer punch in crunch situations.

Nothing will be a bigger joy for Jackson but to see his side embrace glory like Moritz Fuertse attained as skipper in the 2013 edition. The sight of Ashley Jackson in full cry is what the team management of Ranchi Rays would hope for as the league approaches the knockout phase.