Food Corporation of India (FCI) managed to eke out a 2-1 win over Sports Authority of Gujarat to top (Pool F) the group in the National men’s B Division hockey championship at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium here on Sunday, thanks to some solid work from the backline by its captain Surender Kumar.
“He is the backbone of our team, one who absorbs all the pressure. He keeps motivating all the players,” said FCI manager Mukesh Kaushik.
The 25-year-old from Haryana, who has 107 International caps, has been one of the mainstays in the Indian team defence for the past two years.
“‘It was disappointing [not to win a medal] at the World Cup in Bhubaneswar,” said Surender. “We win or lose as a team. A medal of any kind would have been great.”
He didn’t want to single out any player for the failure at the World Cup, but felt things would have been different had the forwardline played to its potential.
Bright spot
While India lost in the quarterfinals to The Netherlands in the World Cup, the sole bright spot was Surender bagging the Player-of-the-match award in the contest. “Where is joy in that? In the end, the team lost,” he said.
Playing along with his idols Birendra Lakra and Sardar Singh has helped him hone his skills. “It is to Lakra I go to for advice and suggestions regarding my game,” said Surender.
Sardar, according to the defender, taught him the importance of being positive, during the Hockey India League. “He always tells me to remain positive whatever the situation.”
Qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is an arduous task. “We have to plan and prepare. It is difficult. We need to focus,” said Surender.
But for the moment, his big assignment will be to help FCI get back to the A division of the Nationals.