Abhishek Nain: The ‘ziddi’ star of Indian hockey

The 23 year old from Sonipat, Haryana, has settled quickly into the Indian hockey squad. With the Asian Games around the corner and one eye on Paris 2024, Abhishek is relishing the opportunity to show all the hype has been justified

Be it moving from a reputed public school to a Hindi medium institution just to play hockey or continuing in the sport long after his best friend, who introduced him to the game at the age of 11, stopped competing, Abhishek has been persistent. | Photo Credit: Murali Kumar K

Abhishek is a throwback to an era when the world was seemingly simpler, less sophisticated, and not prone to mystification. He doesn’t go by a second name, is soft spoken to the point of being apologetic, plays hockey in an unobtrusively efficient but mildly flashy way, and can recall 10-digit phone numbers with ease.

But there is one thing that connects him to the present — a certain kind of ‘ziddi’, according to Shamsher Singh, his childhood coach and biggest influence. It’s a time-tested quality essential to achieving greatness, a trait that has acquired an additional halo in the current world that swears by high performance. Be it moving from a reputed public school to a Hindi medium institution just to play hockey or continuing in the sport long after his best friend, who introduced him to the game at the age of 11, stopped competing, Abhishek has been persistent.

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He once fell from a jamun tree onto a wall with broken glass and a barbed fence and needed more than a dozen stitches to mend a snapped nerve in his left hand. It nearly ended his life, but couldn’t empty his zeal for hockey. Today, the 23 year old from Sonipat, Haryana, is one of India’s brightest prospects.

After making his national team debut during the FIH Pro League tour to South Africa in February 2022, he was part of the silver medal-winning Commonwealth Games side (Birmingham 2022). In 38 senior India appearances, the forward has scored 16 goals, and as India kickstarts its Paris 2024 Olympics cycle, Abhishek is expected to be one of the key members.

“When I first came into the Indian side, I was both nervous and scared,” Abhishek says. “There were many big players like Manpreet [Singh] paaji, Akashdeep [Singh] paaji... I had a slight fear that I shouldn’t make any mistakes, be indisciplined off the field, or say something that is not right. “But they treated me like a friend, and it felt like I was part of a family. When I made a mistake, they explained things very softly. Aisa nahin hai jaise bachchon ko dhabake rakhte hain (It’s not like where they keep children under tight control). They support youngsters, and it has been very good.”

This freedom has reflected in his game. He doesn’t flinch from dribbling past defenders, going on mazy runs, and taking a hopeful shot at goal. Hockey, like football, is a heavily coached sport where combination plays and moves are often simulated on the training field.

Abhishek, however, retains a bit of individualism. “He is an independent thinker and won’t necessarily do things just because they are taught that way,” says Shamsher. “Depending on the situation at hand, he’ll act. This has been his quality since his younger days. He thinks on his feet and does what he feels is right at that moment. He reminds me of former Pakistan great Shahbaz Ahmed.”

During his pomp, Shahbaz used to be called the ‘Maradona of Hockey’. Abhishek has a Lionel Messi connection in that Shamsher used to make his wards read about the Argentine legend and even turned him into a striker because of his undying love for Messi. These are two gigantic crosses to bear, but Abhishek doesn’t feel overwhelmed.

“My coach used to like Messi a lot,” he says. “Shayad mere andar Messi ko dekhte thhe, isliye unhone mujhe striker khilaya (He may have seen a Messi in me and made me play as a striker). I learned a lot by watching Messi. Where to be before the ball comes, how to anticipate and be in the best position to receive the ball — I watched all that during the FIFA World Cup and am still learning.”

Romesh Pathania, a noted coach and Dronacharya Award winner (lifetime category), feels speed is Abhishek’s biggest asset. Pathania was his mentor at Punjab National Bank, a stint Abhishek landed after he was dropped from the junior national team in 2018. His performance at the Hockey India Senior Men’s Inter Department National Championship in Bengaluru in 2021 helped him catch the eyes of the senior national selectors. PNB finished third in the competition, with Abhishek scoring six goals.

“We had just 14 players during that tournament, and I had to rotate,” recollects Pathania. “I told him that he would be selected and had to prove himself. And he did it! “The skills are there... His lifting is good, and so is his wrist work. [More than that] he has speed, and you can’t compare that to anything. Speed speed hota hai (speed is speed), and if that mixes well with skills, the combination is great. “It helps create gaps and earn penalty corners. If there is a chance, he scores as well. You can see the number of class goals he has scored. Such qualities make a good player.”

These facets were on full display in the Pro League in 2022. Two instances were particularly instructive. Against both New Zealand and Spain, he received the ball with his back to the goal, spun around, dodged defenders, and moved swiftly on the offensive; the first resulted in a pass that was eventually finished off by Raj Kumar Pal, and the second had his name etched on it.

Abhishek’s ascent towards becoming one of the mainstays comes when there are high expectations from the national team. Once a powerhouse, India went four decades without an Olympic medal before the bronze in Tokyo bridged the gap with its golden past. Years of lament were replaced by euphoria, and with that has come the thirst for more. Nothing can be more revealing than the criticism the outfit received for a lowly ninth place finish at the home World Cup earlier this year.

“The World Cup experience wasn’t as good as we had hoped,” Abhishek says. “Hockey raises expectations in India. After 40 years, we had that success at the Olympics. So, a podium finish in any tournament has become a basic requirement. “The pressure from the fans is always going to be there. But I am feeling positive. We have a new coach (Craig Fulton), and the goal is to win gold at the Asian Games and qualify for the (Paris) Olympics. Last time at the (Tokyo) Olympics, we were on the podium, and we want to remain there.”

Factfile Abhishek Nain by sportstar