CHENNAI: Two minutes into the first semifinal of the All-India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup meet here, Central Secretariat had already threatened to make it into a no contest. Facing IOC, they had already scored two goals. A raft of internationals — both current and former — in their line-up, IOC eventually found the keys to unlock the combination to walk away 6-3 winners.
One of the chief protagonists of the turnaround was their No 10, Affan Yousuf. He was a willing runner, harried defenders and looked for openings where none existed. It was his thumping shot, a pile-driver from close range, which eventually proved to be the winner. He also supplied the icing on the cake just before the hooter. His two-goal performance, he hoped, was watched by Hockey India’s team management. He was last part of the core probables list in 2018 but has not found a place in the camp in 2019. “It’s not in my hands,” he said after the match. “What’s in my hands is my performance, I can only do that.”
It’s fair to say that Yousuf, who made his India debut in 2014, has been doing that — in his last three tournaments since July, he has scored some 15 goals for IOC. Team manager Devesh Chauhan, a former India custodian, reckons he is one of the best domestic players in India today. “He is one of the best in domestic hockey today. From what I gather, a few foreign coaches feel that he is holding on to the ball for too long when the emphasis is on pass and move.” But, the Bhopal born lad, staggeringly, hasn’t been given a reason.
“That’s the problem,” he said. “They (HI) didn’t tell me anything.” He even asked HI high-performance director David John for some feedback but none was forthcoming. He even narrated an example from 2018 that, perhaps, captured how HI treated him while he was a national camper. “When we were in the camp in 2018, there were 35 probables plus two more junior players. All the probables got to go on one tour except me. They were all tested in matches except me.”
While he doesn’t hold any resentment towards anybody at HI, he would like to get some answers for his absence. “I hope they will see (my performances) and call me back.” On Sunday, Yousuf, who was a winning member when the Men in Blue won the Asian Champions Trophy in 2016, has one more opportunity to knock on HI’s door.Results (all semifinals): IOC 6-3 Central Secretariat, Punjab National Bank 4-2 Indian Navy. Final (Sunday, 6.15 pm): IOC vs PNB