ROURKELA: It used to be a dream day for the 4 Australians hockey gamers who made their senior debut right through their FIH Pro League recreation towards Germany at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium right here on Saturday.
Among them used to be Anand Guptewhose father Nitin is at the beginning from Pune however has been staying Down Under for just about 30 years, and he could not be happier having completed his dream of in the end enjoying for Australiaand that too in entrance of an enormous crowd.
Making it much more particular used to be the presence of his mom Rebekah, who got here down from Canberra, and his paternal grandmother, who made the adventure from Pune. “It was an amazing experience and fantastic atmosphere. It’s a very prestigious team and it means a lot to me. I have worked very hard over the years to get here. It was an honor and a privilege to be here,” mentioned Gupte right through an interplay with the newshounds after the tournament.
What made him even happier used to be that two of the opposite 3 debutants — Ben Staines and Davis Atkins — got here from his town. “Yes, it used to be very particular. Obviously, we have been beautiful green however everybody round us used to be very supportive. There used to be a little bit of drive however it is adequate for a debut recreation,” added the youngster, who started playing hockey with his brother and with a little inspiration from his mother.
“Mom used to play when she was young so when we were about 10 years old, we started playing the game. She was an influence but it was our interest,” mentioned Gupte.
Rebekah now not handiest performed the sport however later additionally shifted to officiating fits. “It’s a surreal second to peer him play towards India. Very proud that he used to be ready to make his debut in India,” Rebekah said ahead of Australia’s match against India on Sunday.
As for Anand’s brother, Niranjan, he went on to play for the Australian Under 21 team and participated in Sultan of Johor Cup in 2018. Although Niranjan couldn’t break into the senior side, he played a huge role in helping Anand become a better hockey player.
“It was always a friendly competition and we kept each other going. We pushed each other when we were younger and we had a lot of fun playing together. It was a very healthy environment to be in and it helped us become better hockey players,” mentioned Anand.
Keeping hockey apart, Anand has a Bachelor of Commerce/Finance from Australian National University in 2020 and works on the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Perth.
As for the tournament towards Germany, he had relatively a excellent recreation or even were given a possibility to transform a penalty nook within the remaining quarter. But he could not get it previous goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, who publish a match-winning efficiency.
Anand will now hope to hold on his excellent display within the subsequent fits and check out to seal his position within the group forward of the Olympics subsequent yr. It shall be a mighty problem however trainer Colin Batch has been relatively happy with him. “He has are compatible in smartly and has were given a excellent mentality. He will make errors as each and every new participant does however he’s an overly resilient individual and I be expecting him to do smartly,” mentioned Batch right through a press convention forward of the match.
Well, he has had a excellent get started and now it is all about going ahead and making all of it value it.
Among them used to be Anand Guptewhose father Nitin is at the beginning from Pune however has been staying Down Under for just about 30 years, and he could not be happier having completed his dream of in the end enjoying for Australiaand that too in entrance of an enormous crowd.
Making it much more particular used to be the presence of his mom Rebekah, who got here down from Canberra, and his paternal grandmother, who made the adventure from Pune. “It was an amazing experience and fantastic atmosphere. It’s a very prestigious team and it means a lot to me. I have worked very hard over the years to get here. It was an honor and a privilege to be here,” mentioned Gupte right through an interplay with the newshounds after the tournament.
What made him even happier used to be that two of the opposite 3 debutants — Ben Staines and Davis Atkins — got here from his town. “Yes, it used to be very particular. Obviously, we have been beautiful green however everybody round us used to be very supportive. There used to be a little bit of drive however it is adequate for a debut recreation,” added the youngster, who started playing hockey with his brother and with a little inspiration from his mother.
“Mom used to play when she was young so when we were about 10 years old, we started playing the game. She was an influence but it was our interest,” mentioned Gupte.
Rebekah now not handiest performed the sport however later additionally shifted to officiating fits. “It’s a surreal second to peer him play towards India. Very proud that he used to be ready to make his debut in India,” Rebekah said ahead of Australia’s match against India on Sunday.
As for Anand’s brother, Niranjan, he went on to play for the Australian Under 21 team and participated in Sultan of Johor Cup in 2018. Although Niranjan couldn’t break into the senior side, he played a huge role in helping Anand become a better hockey player.
“It was always a friendly competition and we kept each other going. We pushed each other when we were younger and we had a lot of fun playing together. It was a very healthy environment to be in and it helped us become better hockey players,” mentioned Anand.
Keeping hockey apart, Anand has a Bachelor of Commerce/Finance from Australian National University in 2020 and works on the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Perth.
As for the tournament towards Germany, he had relatively a excellent recreation or even were given a possibility to transform a penalty nook within the remaining quarter. But he could not get it previous goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, who publish a match-winning efficiency.
Anand will now hope to hold on his excellent display within the subsequent fits and check out to seal his position within the group forward of the Olympics subsequent yr. It shall be a mighty problem however trainer Colin Batch has been relatively happy with him. “He has are compatible in smartly and has were given a excellent mentality. He will make errors as each and every new participant does however he’s an overly resilient individual and I be expecting him to do smartly,” mentioned Batch right through a press convention forward of the match.
Well, he has had a excellent get started and now it is all about going ahead and making all of it value it.