Bengaluru, Feb. 2: The halting words and guarded speech that characterised midfielder Arjun Halappa are a thing of the past now. In their place, you find a confident and mature individual. And it was on full display as Halappa stuck to his stance during the recent crisis that engulfed Indian hockey.
With the World Cup set to get under way at the end of the month, Halappa is ready to give it his all.
On a brief visit to the city before joining his team-mates in New Delhi for the second phase of the camp which began on Tuesday, Halappa spoke about the World Cup and the pride and joy of playing in front of the home fans. Excerpts:
On his World Cup debut and the 2010 event: There is a lot of difference in the player and person I was then and now. I’ve become a more mature. In 2002 I was one among the youngsters, but being one of the senior-most in the team now brings the added responsibility of keeping team spirits high. I’ve seen both victory and defeat and learnt how to deal with both. So, that experience will count when I talk to youngsters.
On not qualifying for the Beijing Olympics: That was definitely the black phase of Indian hockey. Although we want to put it behind and focus on the World Cup it does play on our mind.
On the World Cup opener against Pakistan: We are very well prepared for the mega-event and believe that it is very important to get off to a winning start. That would help us maintain a good momentum. Playing Pakistan is always a pressure situation in terms of expectations, but for us they are like any other opponent against whom we play to win.
On playing at home: Although people talk about pressure of playing in front of home crowds, I really enjoy it. It is an amazing feeling to play surrounded by our countrymen. You have people screaming names of the players, family and friends sitting the crowd and cheering. That kind of support has a positive impact on us.
Manuja Veerappa