Hockey Player - Ajitpal Singh

[BoxerBunty]

Ajitpal Singh was at one time the world's best hockey player. If at that time a world hockey team had been formed, Ajitpal Singh would have been made its captain. The place which Brazil's Pele occupies in Football, Ajitpal Singh, the proud son of Sansarpur, occupies in hockey. The fact that Pele played for money while Ajitpal Singh played for the sheer love of the game is immaterial. The fact that Pele played for money while Ajitpal Singh played for the sheer love of the game is immaterial. In any case, Ajitpal Singh does want that like football, boxing and cricket, the game of hockey should also become a game of professional players. This way, hockey will attain higher levels of excellence.

Ajitpal Singh was born on the 1st of April, 1947. He was 7 or 8 years old when his uncle brought him a hockey stick. His village is a citadel of hockey. For the last 20 years, one player or another from Sansarpur has invariably been included in India's national hockey team. Sansarpur is a small village near Jallundhar Cantonment. This village has given birth to more Olympic hockey players than the biggest of the Indian cities. During the last decade, Sansarpur challenged that they would play against any country's national team! But such a match could not be arranged. Sansarpur has been called the nursery of Indian hockey.


Ajitpal Singh had his early education in the Cantonment Board Higher Secondary School, Jallandhar Cantonment. In 1963, he played as a member of the Punjab State Schools team. At that time he used to play fullback. In 1964, he joined the Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jallandhar where he played for 4 years: during 3 of these 4 years, his college was the Punjab University's hockey champion. During this period, he moved from the position of the full-back to his real position, centre-half. The centre-half in a hockey team is its hub, its pillar. The whole team revolves round him. The better part of the planning of the game takes place in the mind of the centre-half. In 1966, Ajitpal Singh captained the Punjab University hockey team. In 1968, he played as a member of the Indian Universities' team and has, since 1966 till now, been playing from Punjab's side.


Ajitpal Singh is fair-complexioned and tall. His forehead is broad, nose, sharp, and the ends of his moustache are thick. He has big eyes and a handsome body. His speech is well-mannered. His gait is agile and swinging. His presence lends color to the playground. His kit and the snow-white handkerchief he ties round the knot of the hair of his head look like newly blossomed flowers. He has the mysterious charm of person which sportsman alone has. When he plays, the flexibility and deftness of his body cast a spell on the spectators. To maneuvers the ball past him is not just difficult; it is impossible! One cannot say what magic power he has: the moment the ball touches his stick, it gets struck to it. And you become conscious of what has happened only when he has passed the ball on to his forward at a place from where the latter can push it conveniently into the goal.


Ajitpal Singh got into the Indian team for the first time in 1966. This team toured Japan. In 1967, he went to play in the Pre-Olympic tournament in London. Then, he played in the Mexico Olympics. There he proved to be an excellent player when he was made to play the centre-half in the match against Germany. In 1970, he played in a Bombay's international tournament. That very year, the Sixth Asian games were held at Bangkok. There, too, Ajitpal Singh gave an excellent display of his game.

In 1971, he became the captain of the Indian team for the first time. This team won Singapore's Post Shuan Tournament. That year, Ajitpal Singh also captained the Indian hockey team for the first World Cup Hockey tournament held at Barcelona. No other Indian player has led the Indian hockey team in as many major tournaments as Ajitpal Singh! He again became the captain of the Indian hockey team after playing in the 1972 Munich Olympics and in the 1973 Amsterdam World Cup Tournament. The team he now captained participated in the Asian games in Tehran. He was also the Captain of the hockey team which won 1975 Kuala Lampur World Cup Hockey Tournament. Ajitpal Singh was again the Captain of the Indian hockey team for the Montreal Olympic Tournament in 1976.

Ajitpal Singh has had wide and versatile experience of the game of hockey. He instantly gauges the aims and game technique of his adversaries. He also knows how to keep up the morale of his own players. He deals with the members of his team as an equal. His views about the game have always been proved correct. When questioned him as for the possibility of India's winning in the Montreal Olympic Games at the Camp at Patiala, he said, "We have high hopes. But in games it is difficult to say anything with certainty. Our team is trying very hard this time. Our preparation is complete. The players also are all tried and experienced. We are going to Paris fairly ahead of the tournament. There we will practice the game on Astro-Turf for two weeks. We shall then have a few days practice in Montreal. None of us has played on Astro-Turf so far. But we hope that the Astro-Turf will prove good for us."

Asked about the Pakistani team, he said, "The Pakistanis take the game of hockey very seriously. Hockey is a team game. To promote co-ordination in the team, we have to work and perform harder than the Pakistanis. Otherwise their technique and other things are like ours. "

After the Tehran Asian games, an Asian hockey team in which players from India and Pakistan were included were formed. Ajitpal Singh played from Asia's side against the European team in Brussels.