Bharat Chettri: India can win a medal in Rio

"India won the silver medal in the Champions Trophy recently, despite having rested key players like Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh. When we are at full-strength, we will be even stronger. We can even win a medal - it is not an unrealistic target," says former India skipper Bharat Chettri.

Former India skipper Bharat Chettri was hopeful of the Indians doing well at Rio.

With Canara Bank and Central Excise locked in battle during the D. S. Murthy and V. Karunakaran Memorial hockey tournament final held here, one name on the team-sheets stood out. Standing between the sticks for Canara Bank was Bharat Chettri - the Indian team captain at the 2012 London Olympics.

A sub-par show at London - India finished last - hastened the end of Chettri's distinguished 12-year international career. Along with a host of other senior players, Chettri was dropped soon after the mega-event. He has not worn national colours since.

The current Indian team is now just over a month away from competing in the 2016 Rio Games, and Chettri expects this side to put on a good show. “India won the silver medal in the Champions Trophy recently, despite having rested key players like Sardar Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh. When we are at full-strength, we will be even stronger. Going by recent form, we will - at the very minimum - reach the quarterfinals. We can even win a medal - it is not an unrealistic target,” he says.

Chettri states that he does not hold a grudge over his exclusion from the national team four years ago. “My international career lasted 12 years. I got my chances. I was 30 when I played at London, so it was time to groom the younger guys. The selectors were focused on building a good squad for Rio. This is why seniors like Sandeep Singh, Shivendra Singh, Ignace Tirkey, Tushar Khandker and I were dropped. The selectors took the right decision,” he says.

The Kamimlong-born goalkeeper was replaced by P. R. Sreejesh, who has now established himself as a vital cog in the wheel. Chettri is all praise for his successor. “Sreejesh has been absolutely fantastic. He plays a crucial role - he prevents the opposition from finding the net, which means that even a solitary goal scored by us will be enough to earn a win. This is what has brought India so much success in recent times.”

As for his personal ambitions, a pragmatic Chettri admits that his playing days are nearing an end. “I want to become a goalkeeping coach. I have a good amount of knowledge on the subject which I would like to share,” he says.