Making the transition from the junior level to the senior team has been quite challenging but a hugely rewarding experience.
The best thing that can happen to a young Indian hockey player is to play for the national team. When I got the call for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup a few months back, it was the proudest moment of my life. At that time, I had little inkling that within a short span of time I would be a Champions Trophy silver medal list and would have the honour of getting the ‘Best Young Player’ award in the tournament.
As proud as it was at the individual level, the silver medal in the Champions Trophy is truly a big deal. The award would have meant a lot more if we had managed to win the gold medal, but it seems circumstances conspired against Team India in the finals. We took the game to the Aussies, but they managed to hold on in spite of us putting them under immense pressure.
It was the first time that I was involved in a penalty shootout at the senior level. I practised taking penalty corners in the preparatory camps regularly. So, when coach Roelant Oltmans said I would be taking one in the final shootout, I readily agreed. There was no point in putting too much thought into it. I had been involved in shoot outs at the junior level. Perhaps that’s why I never really felt the pressure. In hindsight, it all seems good because I converted. If I hadn’t, maybe I would have given my strategy of remaining calm and cool under pressure a second thought.
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