Vickram Kanth is a Coorg native and a defender on the Indian National Field Hockey Team. He grew up watching his father play the sport, developed a passion for the game, and rose up the ranks. The 2004 Karachi Gold Medal motivated him toward a place in the 2005 Junior Hockey World Cup. Here’s my interview with Kanth.
Vickram Kanth played first for the senior India team in the 2006 South Asian Games, where India lost to Pakistan by one goal in the final. From then on, Kanth represented India in many competitions till the “Chile National Disaster” in 2008. He has a gold medal from the 2007 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup, a silver at the 2008 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, and a bronze medal from the 2007 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup.
There is no better sporting rivalry than India vs. Pakistan, and it’s more than just a dream come true for any athlete who makes their debut in such an encounter. Vickram Kanth says, “It was a dream debut to be playing in Pakistan in the first overseas tour with the Indian team, and playing a final in Pakistan against Pakistan was an experience of sorts for the kind of pressure, the hype around the match made it even more special.”
Courtesy Instagram @vickramhockey
Vickram Kanth is surely disappointed with India’s pre-quarter hockey world cup exit. When asked about gaps between coaching and fitness standards, he said, “Indian Hockey in today’s perspective of coaching and fitness has been on par, if not the best, with any team in the world. However, I think there is a physiological aspect in which we lack and cannot beat the world’s best during crucial situations.” Nevertheless, the ‘defender’ in him believes the current Indian team is growing from strength to strength and foresees the national teams performing consistently in major tournaments.
TSC’s Ravi Mandapaka had the pleasure recently of contacting Vickram Kanth for a conversation. Here are other excerpts from my interview.
Ravi: Can you tell us about your experience in tournaments like Nehru Hockey Tournament, Aga Khan Cup, and Beighton Cup? Do you have any favorite goals and moments from the tournament?
Vickram Kanth: The tournaments you mentioned have a great history and are one the most prestigious hockey tournaments in the domestic circuit. It is a matter of pride for all participating teams to play in the tournament. Indeed, I was lucky enough in my domestic career of fifteen years to have had an opportunity to win the tournaments above many times and carry a lot of priceless memories forever. But what differentiates Beighton Cup is that it was played on natural grass before shifting to artificial turf.
Ravi: Can you talk about the Chile National Disaster and how it changed Indian Hockey? Do you have regrets about how it ended?
Vickram Kanth: Chile was a huge Setback for us all, considering our very good record in the tournament run-up. It was the nail in the coffin for both the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) and the hockey fans in the country for the fans. But from that episode, we set a clear path for the future, even though it took us some time to get back to where our hockey is currently on the world stage. So it was sitting back in the drawing rooms and setting a path for the future, and it took some time for us to get back to where we are now.
Ravi: Unfortunately, many Indian players hide/fake injuries and either ruins their careers or bring a bad name to the federation. You must have encountered many talented athletes who went the wrong way. Can you tell us your views on this and the players who lost their valuable careers? How do you see this in the present-day hockey culture?
Vickram Kanth: There have been very few instances where such things have happened, but it is up to the player concerned at the end of the day. Today, the players are way more professional with their careers, care for themselves very nicely, and conduct themselves well.
Ravi: I always feel Indian Hockey (men and women) needs Indian coaches and a bit against foreign coaches. Would you mind sharing your opinions and views on this?
Courtesy YouTube
Vickram Kanth: There has always been debate on such issues, it’s about having faith in Indian coaches and also giving them a fair run like any foreign coach, and the results will speak for themselves
Ravi: Can you talk about the dissimilarities in the selection process and the reasons, if any, why only SAI and DYES players get state chances but not others?
Vickram Kanth: The reason any SAI or DYES players get selected and not others is that there is a process for selection for hostels and selected training under professional coaches for some time, and then there are selections for the state where there are criteria of fitness/skill execution and when there are open trials the hostel boys stand out then the other trainees, but if other trainees train as hard as the hostel boys, there is no reason not to get selected
Ravi: I would love to see your all-time XI in Indian hockey. Would you mind sharing?
Vickram Kanth: (In alphabetical order)
- Ajitpal Singh
- Ashok Kumar
- B P Govinda
- Dhanraj Pillay
- Dhyan Chand
- Dilip Tirkey
- Jude Felix
- Mohammed Shahid
- Mukesh Kumar
- P R Sreejesh
- Pargat Singh
- S V Sunil
- Sardar Singh
- Surjit Singh
- V R Raghunath
