A stroll through the memory lane with hockey legend

That was perhaps the only time Peter’s teammates saw him get nervous,a far cry from the Peter who they knew on the hockey field – supremely confident,sure-footed and agile. Ultimately,both Balbir and Peter cleared the tests.

From India’s journey at the 1968 Games to the contribution of his village Sansarpur to Indian hockey,Balbir describes his journey as a player,and later a coach and selector,through several such anecdotes in his autobiography,The Colonel’s Deadly Scoop. “There are many untold stories of Indian hockey. I have used this book as a platform to narrate them and hopefully,it will strike a chord with the readers,” Balbir,who was famous for his precise scoops,said.

Littered with several memorable moments,the book,which Balbir has dedicated to the army men,contains a collection of rare pictures and reasserts the importance of Sansarpur,the tiny town near Jalandhar which has produced several Olympians. “One can hardly talk of Indian hockey without Sansarpur prominently figuring in the conversation. The tiny town has the unique distinction of having produced 14 Olympic hockey stars and incredibly,they are all from the same street and share the same surname – Kular,” Balbir said,adding that the book gives an in-depth analysis as to why the village has produced so many hockey greats.

Balbir made his debut as a selector during the National Championships in Pune back in 1987. Twenty six long years later,he completed the full circle. The 68-year-old Olympian returned to Pune last month for the same tournament,his last outing in the capacity of a selector.

And he claims to have seen it all. To be more precise,the downfall of Indian hockey. Balbir,who was the chief selector of the national team from 2009 till last month,said the sharp decline in the standard of Indian hockey has saddened him. The shrinking talent pool and overall mediocre performances of the teams in Pune last month showed just why India has been struggling to form a team that can challenge the top nations.

The armyman,who is now a member of Hockey India’s high performance committee,lamented that the present state of Indian hockey. “I have been a selector for more than 20 years and it’s painful to see the standards decline to this level,” he said.