Indian Olympian Vivek Sagar Prasad who is currently preparing to lead India at the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneshwar reflected on his journey. He recently appeared on a podcast coordinated by Hockey India known as the ‘Hockey Te Charcha’.
The 21-year-old was a pivotal player in India’s historic bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics. But he also recalled how his early career was marred by injuries.
“In 2013, in one of the small tournaments in my village in Itarsi district, Madhya Pradesh, Ashok Dhyan Chand came as the chief guest. He picked me from there and gave me an opportunity to come to the academy. I was shocked that such a big player is calling me to his academy. I could not believe it,” Vivek Sagar Prasad revealed.
He came to the National camp after two years and then suffered an injury to his collar bone. It took him five months to recover and return to the field. But I got injured again and doctors said that there was very little chance of recovery but my friends and family helped me in getting back on my feet.
He led the Indian junior team in 2017 at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia guiding them to a third-place finish in the tournament. Vivek’s heroic performances saw him win the ‘‘Young Player of the Tournament’. He then received a callup to the senior team and within three years he has grown into a very mature player for the Men in Blue. He is all set to become the next superstar in World Hockey.
Vivek Sagar Prasad also spoke on the Junior team’s progress since 2017 and highlighted how the team has only gotten better and he feels team bonding is the reason for their growth. “The team performed better in 2018 and 2019, but in 2020, the Covid period was a period of struggle for all. But the players remained and trained together with the aim to win the title (in Bhubaneswar), and hence the unity and the bond between them has improved a lot. The structure of the team has also improved,” he concluded.
The Junior team captain is looking to guide India to greater heights and feels that players like Maninder Singh, Rahul Rajbar, and Sanjay can help the Blue Colts do well at the Junior World Cup in Bhubaneshwar.
