Rani Rampal Could Have Played for One or Two Years More: Childhood Coach Baldev Singh
Rani Rampal without a shadow of doubt, has been the most-talked-about Indian women’s hockey player over the last two decades or so irrespective of whether she was wearing the national jersey and wielding the hockey stick with pride, or cooling her heels outside the national side. She invariably attracts eyeballs whether she is going all guns blazing on the hockey turf or having an off-day in a game or forced out of the match owing to any injury.
Indeed, Rani has built an aura around herself over the last two decades or so. The retirement of the ace striker, who would turn only 30 in December, may sound a tad surprising because 30 is not an age to retire in world hockey – women hockey players across the globe have performed outstandingly in the early thirties or mid-thirties.
“I don’t know how to react on Rani’s decision to retire from international hockey. I still feel she could have served India for another one or two years. Players of Rani’s calibre are not found overnight and even if she is in the hockey pitch for ten minutes, she can deliver a telling impact,” says Rani’s childhood coach Baldev Singh.
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The Dronacharya awardee coach has also trained several women hockey players such as Jasjeet Kaur Handa, Surinder Kaur, Ritu Rani, Navjot Kaur among others, and shaped up international careers of more than 80-odd players. The 74-year-old coach, who took Rani under her wings at the age of 14 at the Shahabad Hockey Academy, believes Rani has been a wonderful servant of Indian women’s hockey. “She is very disciplined and simple girl. India’s previous coach Janneke Schopman did not effectively handle Rani and she was only discouraging her and she got injured as well. All these things derailed her international career,” says Baldev.
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The soft-spoken coach, who completed his coaching diploma in NIS, Patiala in 1979-80, and coached Amritsar-based Khalsa Hockey Academy and Namdhari Hockey team shares a childhood anecdote about Rani. “Rani used to be very hard-working and disciplined when she trained under me. But one day sometime in 2002, she was supposed to attend practice at 5:00 am but she got a bit late and reached the practice arena around 5:05 am. I remember imposing a fine of Rs 100 but did not take the fine as my sole objective was to make her understand the ‘importance of discipline’. All along she was a great student and always made things easy for him,” says Baldev who now feels the celebrated Indian forward player must settle down.
“She has achieved so much – I wish she gets married as well. She can continue her passion for hockey and involve herself as coach or administrator,” the ace hockey coach signs off.
Hockey Passion wishes Rani Rampal on a fabulous international hockey journey.
