Hockey Pro League: For Gurjant Singh, every chance from here counts

NEW DELHI: Gurjant Singh scoring off a rasping reverse drive, a tomahawk in hockey terms, in the 2016 Junior World Cup final is one of the smartest cuttings in the scrapbook of Indian hockey. It gave the boy from Chandigarh Hockey Academy the license to dream big; however, it has been more valleys than peaks since then for the man who likes to poach the goal for fun. But 2020 has brought good news.Gurjant is back in the squad for India's FIH Pro League debut against the Netherlands. From here on, "I can't let it go." Gurjant summed it up for himself in an interview with Timesofindia.com
It had been said about Gurjant that give him the ball in the circle and he will give you a hit at the goal -- on target or not, a shot at the goal was what his stick guaranteed. He is always a threat but that consistency you seek in an attacker is still missing, which puts him at risk of joining the long list of Indian forwards who remained short on delivery.
The Junior World Cup success hastened Gurjant's senior team call-up, but since that debut in 2017, the drive has remained bumpy, sometimes due to form, sometimes due to injury. The result was he spent 2018 watching the Champions Trophy, Asian Games and the big World Cup on television, where he saw Simranjeet Singh score against Belgium in India's World Cup opener. It would have been a delight to see his Junior World Cup mate grow but excruciatingly frustrating for Gurjant himself. He was on the couch, Simran was on the pitch.
Like this year, 2019 began with good news as well. Gurjant was named in the squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. But it followed a disaster of sorts. A nasal fracture in a practice game before the tournament put him on the flight back home, in recuperation mode.
The 24-year-old made a fleeting appearance after recovering, when he was called to replace injured Sumit in the title-clash of the FIH Series Final against South Africa last year. He travelled to Tokyo for the Olympics test event but couldn't keep his place for the Belgium tour and the Olympic qualifier against Russia.

In the fourth year of his senior career, Gurjant has only 41 international caps.
Now, having earned a recall on the back of his hard work and good show in the national camp under coach Graham Reid, Gurjant wants his life on the hockey pitch to wear a settled look.
Excerpts from the interview:
How hard has it been to get back into the team?
Lots of hard work, for a long time. At the start of last year, in March, before the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, I suffered a nasal fracture. I missed a lot of tournaments because of that. To get fit again and come back while you see someone else taking your place in that gap, it's tough. First to get fit yourself and then according to the level the coaches expect you to achieve, the work doubles.
You made your senior-team debut in 2017 but haven't played that many matches, either due to an injury or because you were dropped. Do you still consider yourself a youngster or a senior?
Can't call myself a youngster anymore (smiles). It's been three years since I have been playing for the senior team. Because of injury, I missed (matches) and was dropped from the team after the Commonwealth Games. That's why I haven't played as many games as I should have. But still I can't call myself a youngster anymore, because in the senior team, the responsibility of every player is the same. You can't give an excuse for your performance saying that you are a youngster.
Was this in-and-out phase mentally draining for you?
Injuries and getting dropped is part of a sportsperson's life. It's up to you whether you take it in a positive way or negative. If we take it positively, then it's about training and working hard. But if we take it negatively, then you will also lose whatever you have. At times, thoughts come to your mind and you do talk to your family. But the best thing is that you are part of the probables in the national camp and getting a chance to prove yourself. So you have to give your best and wait for the right chance.

Your room-mate Lalit Upadhyay had a somewhat similar run not long ago. Did you discuss with him?
Not on any negative or serious topic, but we talk about the game. Lalit also had an up-and-down phase similar to mine. So he could share that with me and say, like, "one day will come". Now he is a regular in the team for the last year and a half. So he has come out of that phase. I can do what is in my hand, i.e., to work hard.
What changes you had to make in your game upon graduating to the senior level?
Hockey changes totally, between junior and senior levels. From fitness to the mental aspect, it's 'smart hockey' at the senior level. Even one mistake is difficult to recover from at this level. Competition for places within the team also increases, because those who are playing from before you are experienced. The expectation of coaches also increases. If you played well in one match, they would want you to play better than that in the next. To maintain that is very difficult. You are playing according to the team's requirement, giving your 100 percent.
Your thoughts on coach Graham Reid and the team environment at present.
He (Graham Reid) has been with the Holland and Australian team as coach. It's important to have a good environment in a team game, it's not about just one player. Winning is not only about playing well but also about how the environment is within the team, and it is brilliant at present. The boys train and have fun, that matters a lot. A fresh mind before an important match or tournament is very important. If you get obsessed with hockey, it won't help.
What's your expectation from yourself not that you have made a comeback?
I hope to become a regular in the team and put that up-and-down phase since the 2018 CWG behind me. The Olympics are very close now, so it's a precious chance for me. The best thing for me will be to make the most of every opportunity I get.