"There are a lot of junior players in the team who are future stars of India" - Mareeswaran Sakthivel on the growth of hockey in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu hockey player Mareeswaran Sakthivel recently opened up on his experiences and perspectives that provide a closer look at the sport's landscape. He talked about his humble beginning in Kovilpatti, where his passion for the sport evolved from observing others play.
Addressing the performance of Tamil Nadu in recent tournaments, Mareeswaran acknowledged the challenges and pointed out the limited preparation time as a contributing factor. Despite the challenges, he highlighted the diverse skillset within the team, including promising junior players seen as the future stars of Indian hockey.
In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda, Mareeswaran shared his insights into the athlete's experiences, challenges faced by Tamil Nadu, and the positive impact of initiatives like the Khelo India Games by the Central Government.
Excerpts from Mareeswaran Sakthivel's exclusive interview with Sportskeeda
#1 You were part of the Indian Hockey Team camp. Tell us about your experience with the Indian camp.
Mareeswaran Sakthivel: The facilities are top-notch. We get all the support from the sports science perspective, including the doctors and physiotherapists. The equipment that we use to train is also of the highest quality.
The place where we are given accommodation with all these facilities and every need of the athletes is satisfied within the venue. Even the ground on which we train is around five kilometers from the hotel that we stay in.
When you get all these facilities easily, and in the most comfortable way, the performance will be enhanced automatically. We are not tired, and we are not traveling long distances, which helps us to stay in focus with the game. This is the best place for a player to grow and be nurtured.
#2 How was your experience during the Khelo India Games 2022?
Mareeswaran Sakthivel: Khelo India Games is one of the most important games that happens every year. We see and play with a lot of state players, and when I talk about the experience there, it is again amazing since the facility provided is as good as the National Games, and we get to learn a lot.
We get to stay in a five-star hotel; the buses are air-conditioned. They give us the feeling of international standards even in these state-level tournaments. This initiative of the Central Government makes the players feel that they are also recognized and important.
#3 Which areas should Tamil Nadu work more on in hockey to improve?
Mareeswaran Sakthivel: Tamil Nadu ended up in the last spot with the fewest points in the recent tournament that we played. This is because of a few mistakes that were committed as a team, and not to blame an individual here. We lacked a few aspects, and together, as a team, we will have to figure out where it went wrong and rectify it.
Our camp together as a team hardly started 15 days before the tournament, whereas the other teams played together throughout the year as there were department players.
They start their camp way before two months from the start of the tournament as they have adequate facilities. Here, the Asian Championship happened recently, and that was the reason for us not having the camp a bit earlier.
In the upcoming tournaments, when the camps and practice are being planned and set up a bit early, it increases the capacity of the players, and they get to know each other a lot better.
This is a team game, and the bond has to be there before we head into any tournament. If you see our team, every player has their skill and talent.
There are a lot of junior players as well in the team who are the future stars of India. We will practice together and achieve things in the upcoming tournaments since the state has now provided us with adequate facilities.
#4 How did your journey in hockey begin?
Mareeswaran Sakthivel: I’m based out of Kovilpatti, which is an industrial region in Tamil Nadu. My love for the game evolved as I saw a lot of people playing hockey in my region, just like how people play cricket anywhere we see.
One of my friends in school took me to play hockey as a hobby, and I did not take it seriously. It all started with playing it as a random game in school, which turned out to be my career now.
#5 Who is your role model or inspiration to take up hockey, and why?
Mareeswaran Sakthivel: My coach, Sardar Singh, who trained me recently, is my inspiration in the game. Even if he is a former Indian player right now, the way he went about our training in a very advanced way is amazing. I have never played under such type of coaching, and I can imagine how well he would have played during his peak times.
This article was done with inputs from Deepa Ramasubramanian.