The last time Rehan Butt came to Chennai with the Pakistan team was also the last international hockey competition in the city. Back then, he was captain of the side and still among the deadliest forwards in the game, with the biggest Indian obstacle on his way being a defender called Dilip Tirkey.
Now coach with a largely inexperienced side here, Butt’s memories of that 2007 tour are underlined by Chak De! India. “The movie had just been released back then and we saw it during the Asia Cup. That is still the central point of my memories even now whenever my kids ask me about it. Watching it in cinema hall was an incredible experience,” Butt told The Sportstar here.
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The images are still vivid for Butt. “When I went to the ground this morning, the first thing I noticed was the lights set-up which is very different and that kind of threw me back into flashback. The city has changed a lot – earlier, it was an old city, like areas of Lahore or Delhi. Now it’s a lot more modern, cleaner and brighter. But the people are the same,our welcome was the same,” he reminisced.
That, the fact that Tirkey is now Hockey India president and the first person to receive the Pakistan team when they entered India on Monday was former international Jugraj Singh were pointers, he laughed, of a bygone period. “We still talk about our rivalries and matches, especially the 2004 Champions Trophy game. Those were exciting times and seeing Dilip become president is heartening. He was one of the best fullbacks and he deserves this honour. And he hasn’t changed, he is still as polite as he was back then,” he added.
His current role has him chaperoning a side that, barring one, has players with a combined international experience of 224 games – that’s less than the number of matches Akashdeep Singh alone has played for India. “I saw the teams when we landed here and realised ‘kuch zyada hi chhote bachhe le aye hain’,” he laughed.
“But to be honest, our main focus is on the Junior World Cup and we want to prepare this team to have enough experience in the next few years. I have seen a spark in these boys during the Junior Asia Cup and I know we will get beaten in the next few years but these things take time, once they get that experience, they will be special,” he insisted.
Given the impatience with results and constant chopping and changing in most Asian countries, he acknowledged there will be a period of growing-up but hoped there will be sufficient support from the authorities this time. “Enough has been damaged. Now it’s time to get out of the short-term planning and immediate results mentality.
“There has been positive support from the PHF. This is a big test for these kids but they have potential. And it’s not like we are sitting on riches or dropping someone like Sohail Abbas or Shakeel Abbasi, we have struggled with seniors also. From this tournament we will know where we stand with respect to the competition, it will tell us and the boys where they stand. We haven’t qualified for the last two Olympics so why not take a chance on the youngsters instead? Even if we don’t qualify, we will at least be preparing for a better future,” he insisted.
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