Murugappa Gold Cup: Two-time Olympian Sunil hopes to ride on perseverance until age catches up with him

Content with his decade-long international career, SV Sunil just wants to extract every ounce of hockey left in him as a player on the domestic circuit.

“ Jab tak jaan hai, khelenge. Uske baad next level pe jaayenge (I will play till I can. After that, I will move on to the next level),” said the 35-year-old Sunil after his side, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL), lost 4-5 to Railway Sports Promotion Board in their final Pool A match of the 95th All India MCC-Murugappa Gold Cup Hockey Tournament here on Wednesday.

Sunil, who hails from Coorg in Karnataka, played 271 matches for India. It includes the 2012 and 2016 Olympics in London and Rio de Janeiro, respectively – the logos of both editions are inked on his right leg.

A key part of the Indian forward-line throughout the 2010s, Sunil amassed 103 goals and was famous for his lung-busting runs down the flanks. However, shortly after missing the bus for Tokyo Games, he announced his international retirement.

He did come back for the Asia Cup two years ago, where India won bronze, but it turned out to be the last time he donned the blue jersey.

Even though the speed with which he could dribble past rival defenders has dipped, his playing days aren’t completely over.

While Sunil continues to represent BPCL, his eyes are also on the much-awaited Hockey India League (HIL), which is set to return after a long hiatus of eight years. The HIL will be held from the last week of December 2024 to the first week of February 2025 – the window sanctioned by the International Hockey Federation (FIH).

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“I have registered as a player. If I get picked, I will play,” he said.

Otherwise, it could be time for the ‘next level.’ Many of the players Sunil played with, such as Rupinder Pal Singh, Birendra Lakra and most recently PR Sreejesh, have moved on to take the coaching role. Hockey India approached Sunil too to join the national junior side’s coaching setup.

“I did receive a call for the junior team but haven’t decided yet. I have asked for some time. I have certain commitments right now,” he clarified.

Tough for national players to take part in domestic events

Murugappa Cup features a blend of young and upcoming players as well as former Indian internationals. For hockey fans in the city, it is an opportunity to watch two generations of Indian hockey competing at the same time.

Sunil lauded the improvement in facilities for players compared to when he first played in the competition in 2008 but also admitted that the crowd had significantly reduced.

“Compared to when I made my debut, the number of spectators is less but the organisation has improved – in terms of communication, practice pitches as well as timings. Earlier, there were no practice pitches,” he said.

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The Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium got a new turf while another practice pitch was also made for the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy. Since then, it has also hosted the Senior Men’s National Championships 2023 and the Khelo India Youth Games competitions.

However, for an 8000-capacity venue, there were not even 200 people in the stands to watch the match featuring a two-time Olympian.

The packed FIH calendar does not allow most members of the national side’s core group to feature in many such events and Sunil sympathised with them. “National players have camps throughout the year. They also need to rest when there is no camp and hence, it is tough for them to play in such tournaments.”

But from November 4 to 15, Chennai will host the Senior National Men’s Championship where the stars of the bronze medal-winning Paris Olympics campaign are expected to play.

“ They have been allowed to play Senior Nationals which is a good thing. Jab national player khelne aayenge, toh log aayenge dekhne. (When national players will come to play, more spectators will come to watch,” said Sunil, brimming with optimism.