MEDDLE PATH

But his brilliance with the stick outshines everything else. The man who has been inextricably linked to Indian hockey for more than a decade 8212; he still personifies the subcontinental flavour in every hockey-playing nation 8212; is also its most vocal critic. But the famous outbursts had become few and far between in recent times.

So, when The Sunday Express contacted him after the whole money-to-play scandal broke out, it was vintage Dhanraj, accusing the federation of messing around with careers and driving the sport deeper into crisis.

8220;I have repeatedly said that sometimes players who do not deserve the India cap get to play for the country,8221; he says. 8220;Now that has been proved. Adam Sinclair says that he deserved to play in 2004. Where is he today, despite that Olympic participation? And he says I am upset because he was a better striker. Does he even know that I stopped playing as a striker after 1998?8221; he questions.

It is Dhanraj all right, but not the one expected. It is a soft voice, a hurt voice. The man may not be a stranger to controversies, but he sure knows talent when he sees it. 8220;Do you remember the strikeforce at that time? It had Deepak Thakur, Gagan Ajit Singh and Prabhjot Singh. We have not had a winning combination like that since then, and Adam thinks I am upset with him!8221; he says. Funnily, back then, Dhanraj had accused the same set of players of ganging up against him.

8220;No doubt, hat KPS Gill did for the country deserves respect. And to ensure that he retains that respect, he should go. When it comes to the sport, you need to judge him by his work in IHF. And since the Atlanta Olympics 1996, he has done nothing,8221; he says softly, almost whispering, the anguish evident.

In fact, the scandal has brought several people out in the open against Jothikumaran. Rajinder Singh Jr, who was handed charge after Gerhard Rach, says there were several instances when undeserving players were pushed into the team.

8220;He Jothi used to create a situation where you couldn8217;t do anything. Like, the passport of a player would be delayed to make way for someone else; or the junior record of another player made an excuse to push him in,8221; he says. 8220;They mess up and someone like Bimal Lakra pays the price. Someone talented like him will now never get a chance to be an Olympian, the highest honour anyone can think of,8221; he adds.

Getting Dhanraj to talk about selections, though, is tricky. The man who once claimed 8212; and proved 8212; he could outrun any younger player in a short sprint is hesitant to take names from the present lot he thinks are undeserving. But the references are obvious enough. 8220;Talents like Sandeep Singh and Len Aiyappa are almost lost to Indian hockey because of preferential treatment. You ask me who should not be in; I tell you who should be in, and you make your own judgments: Vikram Pillay, Hari Prasad, Arjun Halappa are just a few. How many in the present team can match them?8221;

Rajinder doesn8217;t mince words. 8220;You saw V Raja play the Champions Trophy in Chennai. Where is he now? Even during the 2006 Indo-Pak Tests, I got the players just two days before the series began. We did reasonably well and I suggested that the team should be retained. But, during the Commonwealth Games, they dropped someone like Shivendra Singh and Jothikumaran called up to include two others who didn8217;t deserve to be there,8221; Rajinder adds.

The man who first went public against the Gill-Jothikumaran duo, former IHF vice-president Narinder Batra, alleges things were as bad during the 2002 World Cup. 8220;I was asked to go as the manager of the squad. Till then, the final team was not selected. I was told to decide the final team, with the selectors, during the practice games in Malaysia, but specifically told to send back Gagan Ajit, Bimal and one more player. If the team was pre-decided, why go through all the farce,8221; he says.

But what has made Dhanraj wary of being outspoken? 8220;Everyone wants to be in the limelight. And they know that, even today, they will get mileage through Dhanraj. That is why I don8217;t talk much now. If I say anything, people get an opportunity to counter me and stay in news,8221; he boasts.

It isn8217;t an empty boast, though. His one statement against Adam Sinclair has actually brought the long-forgotten player back into focus. But if anyone thought that the fiery Dhanraj had mellowed, they couldn8217;t have been more wrong. Fighting for players8217;s rights, asking for due remuneration, demanding respect 8212; Dhanraj has never shied away from questioning the IHF and its workings. He has always worn his passion for the sport on his sleeve and never been patient with those who he feels do not put country above all else.

Slow to start with, the suppressed anger is becoming more obvious in his voice. 8220;You think this the Jothikumaran expose is a revelation? It is not. Way back in 1996, the Champions Trophy in Chennai was sponsored by the Kuber Group for Rs 2.10 crore. The agreement was that it would be split between the players and the IHF 60:40. Leisure Sports Management works out deals with corporates and gets a cut. We get nothing,8221; he says.

The details keep coming. 8220;Sahara has been sponsoring the team since 2003, but the monthly stipend to the national players Rs 25,000 each stopped after September 2004. Will the IHF say what happened to that,8221; he asks. The Kuber Group was declared bankrupt three months after the Champions Trophy, accused of defrauding thousands of investors. The money from Sahara is unaccounted for, and former IHF vice-president Narinder Batra says no one even in the federation has any idea about it. And, sources say, that the main reason for removing Rajinder Singh as coach barely a fortnight before the 2004 Olympics was his stance against Sinclair.

You realise it8217;s time to wind up. But one last query remains: Will he get involved with the IHF? 8220;Not as long as Gill is there,8221; he signs off, a man who still dreams of Indian hockey, but now with despair.