Pillay — the second coming

The teenage centre-half from Kirkee, Pune, could scarcely believe his ears when selected to the Indian side to tour Zimbabwe and Kenya. He hardly expected to travel abroad and not surprisingly, did not possess a passport.

The absence of the document was to prove his misfortune. But 17-year-old Vikram shrugs it off with just a smile. Just as he did the disappointment of missing out on a slot in the Maharashtra side to Europe.

The amiable namesake of Indian hockey icon Dhanraj, who hails from the same neighbourhood of his mentor, believes there are opportunities aplenty round the corner. And with good reason.

A picture of fitness, Vikram stands out on the pitch. Speed, control and a burst into the circle petrifies defenders just as Dhanraj Pillay does.

And like Dhanraj, he comes from humble origins, playing barefeet at one time with a stick not his own. Looked upon as the `Second Dhanraj’ by Pune’s hockey-loving populace, Vikram’s bull-in-a-China-shop display on the inter-schools pitch recently took All Saints to the under-19 title. Earlier this year he assisted Mumbai to the junior national final at Bangalore.

Displaying all the skills that typify hockey on artificial surface, Vikram slammed a hat-trick in the semi-finals, then had a stick in each of his team’s four goals in the final against Lokmanya Tilak — setting up two and scoring two.

You name it, he’s got it — dash and dribble, mercurial running, re-tackling and improvisations such as the one-handed control. Powerfully built, he could be the answer to tough tackling Western sides. All of this comes nicely packaged for a player at centre-half — though Vikram is often seen in the centre-forward position. Those frequent forays have kept the scorers busy.

Vikram never ceases to smile — he enjoys his hockey for sure as he pours forth gratitude for coach Sathe, `big brother’ Dhanraj Pillay of course, his chum, junior international Edwin Moti who hauled him to Mumbai where he plays for Union Bank of India and to renowned players like internationals Gavin Fereira, Sabu Varkey, Anil Aldrin and former women’s international Namrata Shah who have helped him develop.

But he singles out key playmakers Sandeep Somesh and Mohammed Riaz as his idols.

If Vikram lives up to potential, he could be yet another Pune player reaching out for the `Promised Land’.

Lack of opportunity has forced players over the decades to traverse the Western Ghats and seek expression and a future in Mumbai — from Govind Perumal, the sole surviving double gold medallist in Mumbai, to the Pillay siblings of current times.

Vikram, likely to join leading outfit Tatas, knows too well that Mumbai must become his adopted home in order to provide himself a future even as he pleads for industry in Pune to answer the sport’s crying need for support.

The smile, though, never fades as he takes leave for another session of practice with the All Saints team.

Vikram knows the saints are on his side.