Lots to learn from Fuchs: Gurjant
For the past week, 21-yearold Gurjant Singh has been having a surreal experience at the Dabang Mumbai camp at the Mahindra Hockey Stadium in Mumbai.
The lanky India forward, who shot to fame with a stunning reverse hit that ensured India took an early lead against Belgium in the final of the Junior World Cup in December last year, has been spending some quality time with Mumbai captain Florian Fuchs, an accomplished forward for the German national team, working on ironing out the flaws in his game and ensuring he stays in prime form ahead of the Hockey India League slated to begin on Saturday. Fuchs has nicknamed Gurjant ‘Backhand’ for his exceptional field goal at the Junior World Cup. “Florian calls me Backhand now,” Gurjant laughs.
“He doesn’t call me by my name. He said, he watched all of our matches during the World Cup and told me that he was excited because he could get to see similar goals live on the field during the HIL. It’s just so encouraging when we hear him talk about how we played,” Gurjant says.
“Spending time with Florian has been an enriching experience because he is full of positive attitude. There are times during a match when we get frustrated because of missed passes or a silly mistake. He often tells us not to think about what you missed but to quickly move on and think of how you can improve.
“I think these small yet valuable lessons are important going forward in my career,” adds Gurjant.
Speaking about their first game against Ranchi Rays on Saturday, Gurjant is confident his team will begin with a win.
“Our team has been together since last year and we have gelled well. Last year we beat Ranchi with a 10-man team because Affan Yousuf was given a red card.
“That win gave us a lot of confidence going forward in the league. This year too we are confident we can repeat such a performance.”