HOCKEY GREATS KAUSHIK, RAVINDER PAL SUCCUMB TO COVID COMPLICATIONS

LUCKNOW : It turned out to be a “tragic day” for hockey as two former India players MK Kaushik and Ravinder Pal Singh died due to Covid-19 complications. Both were members of the Indian team that won the gold medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.

Kaushik, who had scored a goal in India’s 4-3 win against Spain in the final at the Moscow Olympics, breathed his last in New Delhi on Saturday evening after battling the dreaded virus, whereas Singh succumbed in Lucknow on Saturday morning.

Kaushik, who is survived by his wife and two sons, had coached both the senior men and women’s teams. Under his tutelage, the India men’s team had won the Asian Games gold medal in Bangkok in 1998.

Also, Indian’s women team had won bronze medal at the Doha Asian Games in 2006 under his coaching. He was awarded the Arjuna Award in 1998, before being bestowed with the Dronacharya award in 2002.

The 66-year-old Kaushik was suffering from severe lung

issues and was put on a ventilator only on Saturday evening where he breathed his last around 7. Family members confirmed that even after testing negative, Kaushik remained hospitalised due to falling oxygen saturation levels for almost two weeks.

Kaushik had tested positive for Covid-19 last month and despite symptoms, his RT-PCR and rapid antigen tests returned negative on April 17. A week later, however, he was diagnosed with pneumonia due to coronavirus following a CT scan of the chest.

His wife, too, had tested Covid-19 positive but was released from the hospital after being tested negative only on Friday evening.

Kaushik’s teammate Ravinder Pal Singh was admitted to a Lucknow hospital since April 25. He was 61 and is survived by his niece Pragya Yadav. He was the third player from Uttar Pradesh in the 1980 hockey squad after Mohd Shahid and Zafar Iqbal.

Singh had all the signs of recovery and was shifted to the non-Covid ward on Thursday after testing negative. But on Friday afternoon, his condition started deteriorating and he was put on a ventilator, where he breathed his last on Saturday morning.

“I didn’t see such a great centre-half in my life. Always helpful to every sportsperson in Lucknow and a swift mover with the hockey stick in the field,” said Syed Ali, a member of the gold-winning Indian hockey team at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

“A very down to earth man, but quite aggressive on the hockey field, he was unmatched in his qualities, and we never lost the match in Lucknow, if he was in our team,” said Ali, who runs the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Hockey Society.

Another former India hockey captain and drag-flicker Rajneesh Mishra recalled his early playing days at the sports college in Lucknow while watching his seniors, including Ravinder Pal, playing.

“I was stranded once as I had to rush to the Sports College to play an important match. Suddenly, I found Pal Sir ready to take me to the venue on his scooter without any delay. I couldn’t believe that such a great player of his time was ready to help a youngster without any purpose,” said Mishra on Saturday.

Singh was also a good football player. Post-retirement, it was a routine affair to see him at action at the KD Singh ‘Babu’ Stadium. “He (Pal) used to dribble the football like in hockey. Snatching the ball away from him was quite tricky even for the regular footballers,” said Mishra.

Former India captain and UP’s director sports RP Singh said that it was a great loss to Uttar Pradesh hockey.

“He (Pal) was such a great player. Many of us grew up watching him play. His contribution to UP hockey is immense.”

Ravinder Pal Singh, who also played at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and was a bachelor, played in the 1979 Junior World Cup. Born in Sitapur, Singh excelled as a centre-half from 1979 to 1984.

Besides two Olympics, Singh had also represented India in the Champions Trophy in Karachi (1980, 1983), Silver Jubilee 10-nation Cup in Hong Kong in 1983, the 1982 World Cup in Mumbai and the 1982 Asia Cup in Karachi, among other tournaments. He took voluntary retirement from State Bank of India after quitting hockey.

UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, too, condoled the death of Ravinder Pal Singh. “It’s a big loss to Indian sport and I pray to god to give courage to bereaved family,” the CM tweeted.

Mourning the deaths of the two former Olympians, Union sports sinister Kiran Rijiju tweeted: “Again a sad day for Indian Hockey. We lost MK kaushik ji, member of the Indian hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. He also coached the 1998 Asian Games men’s team & 2002 Commonwealth Games women’s team. Both teams won gold. Salute to Laushik ji. Rest in peace.”

“I’m deeply saddened to learn that Shri Ravinder Pal Singh ji has lost the battle to Covid-19. With his passing away, India loses a golden member of the hockey team that won Gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. His contribution to Indian sports will always be remembered. Om Shanti,” his earlier tweet read.

Former captain of the Indian men’s hockey team Viren Rasquinha took to Twitter to express his sadness over the death of the two hockey legends on the same day. “Really sad day for Indian hockey and Indian sport. Two legends have passed away in a single day succumbing to covid-19 complications Ravinder Pal Singh and MK Kaushik. Both were 1980 Moscow Olympics Hockey Gold medallists. Just too shocked,” he wrote.

Singh was cremated at Lucknow’s Bhainsakund cremation ground, where sportspersons and officials gathered to bid farewell to their “hero”.