Shanmugam guns for glory
The travails of IOB in the run up to this year's Murugappa hockey tournament have been well-documented. Gone were the days when teams with even half their potential stopped being in awe of them.
There were many matches that can be recounted where IOB got the better of their opponents based on their ability to instil the fear factor in them. What puzzled, even rankled, many was that despite owning an ocean of talent they for no apparent reason went on a steep decline.
After their brush with mediocrity IOB seem to have mend their ways now and one man who has been central to their resurgence is the 22year old forward V.Shanmugam.
He may not be required to live a life in obscurity for too long if his penchant for scoring goals continues to gather steam the way it has in the course of the last seven days in the Murugappa tournament. Saddled with the burden of putting his team back on the pedestal, the stoic Chennai lad has risen to the challenge admirably by finding the target in all the four group matches. In doing so he has made himself a key member in his coach's scheme of evaluation.
Shanmugam was candid enough to admit that before his team's first match he was a bundle of nerves but a good outing against SCR assuaged his inhibitions. “I was a little anxious prior to the tournament. There were strong teams in our group and I feel glad that I was able to repay the faith the team management reposed in me. The success I have attained wouldn't have been possible without the constant encouragement of the senior players,“ points out Shanmugam.
IOB manager Arif Ahmed rhapsodized over some of the attributes Shanmugam has in order to make that step up to becoming a player everyone will take note of. “What I like in him is his devotion to the sport. He is also a quick learner.
At a timely juncture, with Harmanpreet Singh injured, Shanmugam filled the void capably . We first spotted him when he was playing for Madras University. Thereafter we kept tabs on how he evolved for close to one year and when we felt satisfied we recruited him two years ago,“ mentions Arif.
Shanmugam almost deferentially deflects all the spotlight away from him and instead he expresses his debt of gratitude to his college mentor AGS Kannan. “I can never forget all that he has done to me. He is like a father figure to me.
He was there by my side through thick and thin and helped me financially by buying me the stick and a new pair of shoes knowing that I couldn't afford them,“ says Shanmugam.
Asked to name who his favourite player was, Shanmugam, off the top of his head, says the only player he ever looked up to was Dhanraj Pillay. A native of Iyyapanthangal, Shanmug am nourishes a dream of playing for the country and if he can keep the fire in his ravenous belly rag ing there is no way how the Indian jersey can stay out of his reach.
Post new comment