In the thirteenth episode of Hockey Te Charcha, we spoke with the charismatic former Indian hockey player MM Somaya. Somaya was a part of India’s last Olympic Gold medal winning side at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and went on to play in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as well, before Captaining the Indian Men’s Hockey Team in the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
In this episode, Somaya takes us on a journey of Indian hockey in the 1980s, sharing some of his experiences of playing alongside legendary players such as Mohammed Shahid, Zafar Iqbal, Vasudevan Baskaran and Mervyn Fernandis. On a lighter note, Somaya regales us with tales of camaraderie between the team, as certain players in the team went on to form a core of the Indian side which played in three Olympic Games together between 1980 and 1988.
The former Indian Men’s Team Captain goes on to analyse the structure laid down by Hockey India, under which the current Indian hockey teams have shown signs of flourishing. Somaya is all praises for the developments in modern grassroots training in India, offering invaluable insights from his wealth of experience in Indian and International hockey. He also shares his congratulations with the current Indian Men’s and Women’s teams for their remarkable performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Tune in to the episode to find out more.