Former Indian captain Pritam Rani Siwach chases his son in junior world hockey | Hockey

His uneasiness was understandable. His son Yashdeep, 20, was most likely to play the most important match of his young career, which could affect his future career. However, Pritam isn’t too worried because “hockey is in our DNA.”

Really is. One of the country’s finest midfielders, the Pritams India career lasted 16 years since her debut at the 1991 Indira Gandhi Gold Cup in the Olympic qualifiers in 2007. Her husband Kuldeep Siwach played for Railways and was also selected for an Indian camp before. a back injury cut off his career. Their daughter Kanika, 16, plays in Haryana at the junior level and has also participated in the Khelo India Youth Games.

It was inevitable. His parents are hockey players, we watched, talked and discussed hockey all the time at home, so I think it’s natural for our kids to take up the sport too, said Pritam, who was part of the winning team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. only India, men or women, have won Gamesbeating England in their backyard.

Yashdeep used to watch me and my husband play and teach hockey as he followed us to our academy and accepted the game from there. In addition, he is inherently very competitive. When he was younger, he challenged me to compete against him, saying Mom, I can beat you, says Pritam, who won the silver in India at the 1998 Asian Games in India.

Yashdeep repeats his mother: Hockey is in my blood. I have always followed my mother’s example and wanted to emulate her accomplishments. The first time I visited the hockey field was with him. I started training with my mother as my first real coach, said the defender, who also admires former Indian captain Sardar Singh and current skipper Manpreet Singh.

Although Yashdeep was also academically inclined, he was interested in sports, athletics, tennis, swimming and horseback riding before he started hockey as a teenager.

Yashdeep really started to enjoy the sport, and this interest turned into impressive field performances, which earned him a choice for the Haryana State team. His game improved rapidly in a short time, and his performance in the 2017 junior races was spotted by scouts who selected him for a national camp at the Sports Authority of Indias (SAI) in Bengaluru.

Soon came the time of a critical decision when a teenager and his family embarked on a career in the hockey field or focus on studying. Studying and sports together is difficult. We told him that if he wanted to play, he wouldn’t be able to give enough time to study because he was in camps, in the state, or nationally. He has still managed to continue his studies, Pritam said of Yashdeep, who is pursuing a bachelor of arts.

Joining the national line-up was a new experience, as he had never lived away from home. But the young man saw it as an opportunity to learn from his teammates as well as a senior team practicing in the same center. As my interest in the species grew, I didn’t look back. I watched the seniors practice closely and talked to some of them. It was an opportunity for me to learn quickly and improve my game, he said.

Yashdeep soon became an integral part of Indian foals and appeared in almost all major tournaments, including the 2019 Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia, where the team won silver.

Pritam has continued coaching at his Sonepat Academy, which he began in his early days in the 21st century. Pritam Siwach Hockey Academy trains about 200 disadvantaged girls from rural backgrounds by providing them with equipment and building hopes for the future of the sport.

Her desire to serve the sport bore fruit with followers Neha Goyal, Nisha Wars and Sharmila Devi on the Indian women’s team at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where they finished fourth in history.

The year became sweeter when Pritam received the Dronacharya Award for Excellence in November, making him one of the few to win the Arjuna Award as a player and the Dronacharya Award. But nothing could compare to his joy after his son was selected for the Indians Junior World Cup.

Pritam, who arrived in Odisha’s capital on Tuesday night, is delighted. I’m going to see my son play; very hopeful India will not only make it to the semifinals but also to the finals. The first match was shocking (a loss to France) that could happen to any big team, but the return has been very good. The boys are performing well and getting power back in step by step, he said.