BENGALURU: As the Indian men’s hockey team gears up for the upcoming Paris Olympics in July-August, Bengaluru’s own Mohammed Raheel has emerged as a standout player. Born into a family steeped in the sport, the 27-year-old showcased a sensational performance against Australia last month, despite India’s challenging 5-0 defeat. When we meet him at the Sports Authority of India (SAI), he steps aside for a quick chat from his intense training for the Olympics, now just a couple of months away.
Raheel credits his family’s deep involvement in the sport for much of his success. “I come from a hockey family – my dad plays, and my brother has competed for the state team, participated in many nationals, and attended junior camps. Inspired by them, I began playing hockey in school,” Raheel says, adding, “My family has passed down the spirit of competition and they have been a tremendous support.
My parents are very involved; my dad watches all my games, as does my mom, especially the ones in Bengaluru. They make it a point to be there on the ground for the games. My dad was my first coach. From the age of five, I would go with him to the HAL sports ground to play hockey. As I started playing professionally for the SAI, I started to observe and learn from numerous former internationals who came to the ground. This made me passionate about the game.”
While family provided a bedrock of support, figures like Dhanraj Pillay and Arjun Halappa were key influences on the young Raheel when he took up the sport professionally at the age of 15. “Pillay was my early idol, but I also watched Halappa play extensively,” he adds. His mesmerising dribbling skills and the ability to maintain a high level of play, even under pressure, was notably evident during the challenging tour of Australia. “The last time I played for India was in 2022, and I hadn’t had the opportunity to play 11-a-side since then. With whatever opportunities I get, my mindset is to do my best and that’s exactly what I did in Australia,” he says.
As the Olympics draw near, Raheel lays out his ambitions: “My personal goal, and the team’s goal, is to achieve a podium finish. And for that I’d need to score as many goals as I can,” he says with confidence. But with India placed in a challenging pool alongside teams like Belgium and Australia, the team has a mammoth task ahead of them. “We are focusing heavily on fitness and enhancing our defensive strategies. There’s excellent bonding between everyone in the team, there’s a positive atmosphere,” Raheel adds.