CHENNAI: Back in the 1990s and the 2000s, when Malaysian hockey was growing in stature, there was a common link back to India. Their side had players whose roots were from there, as well as China. Players in the side with heritage from outside on occasion outnumbered the Malaysians.
Thanks to ever-changing dynamics, that’s not the case anymore. In fact, there was just one Malaysian Tamil in the squad that took part at the recent Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Kumar Subramanium, the only player in the team whose roots are in India, explains. “In the earlier days, there were lots of Singhs, Chinese, Tamils,” he says. “Back then, lots of people had interest. These days, that particular class of people just wants to study further, get into good jobs and have a 9-5 life. They still play the sport but after a certain level, they drop out. Only the Malaysians show proper interest.”
The 38-year-old never thought about joining them. Even when he entertained the notion of retiring, a few words from the Malaysian Hockey Federation (MHF) were enough to make him stay back. “Even when I made my debut for the national team some 18 years ago, I used to see a few of my friends swapping sticks for college education and beyond. My goal has always been to play hockey for the national team. But playing continuously for all these years has taken a toll, so after the Hockey World League semifinal in Antwerp in 2015, I considered retirement,” he reveals.
“The MHF, though, wanted me to continue so as to guide younger players.” The former Asian goalkeeper of the year, whose family emigrated to Malaysia from Salem more than a 100 years ago, has a career that is well decorated with a host of awards. Little known is the tragedy that has affected his life. During the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Kumar had lost his father to a heart attack. He had to battle depression in the following weeks, before returning to the team at the Asian Games that year, where they won silver.
It’s understandable that he doesn’t want to talk about those memories, instead preferring to focus on what lies ahead. “I do have options of becoming a coach. I’ve had options both from here and abroad.”
He is once again contemplating retirement but the temptation of a World Cup in the land of his forefathers means he might yet stay back a bit longer.
Only if his performances are at an acceptable level, however. “At my age, one has to be careful,” he says. “If I don’t continue performing, people will automatically link that to my age. So maybe if everything is at the same level... who knows.”
swaroop@newindianexpress.com