No motivation to play for India again: Arjun Halappa

Arjun Halappa has been one of the most prolific midfielders in the world. But in a shocking decision made by Hockey India officials, Arjun was named among the standbys in the 18-member squad to play the Olympic Qualifiers. For a player who is reputed to be ne of the key members of the Indian team for almost a decade, Arjun has every reason to be miffed by the ‘snub’. He has been in decent form. He played the Series in South Africa where India put up a solid fight and had previously led the Indian team as the captain too.

Although Arjun was expected to stay back in Delhi and train along with the other three standbys—Manjeet Kullu, VS Vinay and Chingelsana Singh, the Karnataka forward returned to Mumbai to play a domestic corporate tournament and now he is here in Bangalore for the Bangalore team’s World Series Hockey camp.

In an exclusive interview with Sportskeeda.com, Arjun denied reports of his retirement but at the same time, also stated that he is yet to make a decision.

Excerpts:

Nandini: Have you overcome the disappointment of not being included in the team?

Arjun: It’s not about being disappointed. If they didn’t want to keep me in the team and had at least given me the slightest hint of it, I would have left by myself. They keeping me as a ‘standby’ was not fair, I thought; there is no meaning to it. If they are thinking of a future, they could have kept a youngster as standby because he will be useful in the future. It’s not that I don’t want to play for the team anymore. I do want to play, but not when I am treated like this. I had never expected that I would be kept as a reserve. It’s shocking for me.

Nandini: About six months ago you were the captain of the team and now you don’t even figure in the team… How hard has this phase been for you?

Arjun: I am not motivated enough to play for India anymore. Some of the media channels put headlines saying I am retiring. No – I haven’t made that choice yet. But I didn’t want to stay with the team either, so I told the coach and left. I went and played a domestic corporate tournament in Mumbai and only now I am coming to Bangalore. I have not gone back home yet. I want to discuss with my family about this and then take a call. For now, I am just concentrating on WSH.

Nandini: Today, the Indian team does not have big stars. Do you think the team playing the qualifiers lacks experience?

Arjun: Actually, a few people I know in Delhi told me that there were not many people to watch the Indian team play on the opening days of the Olympic Qualifiers. There were about 1500 people is what I was told. It’s not about me or anyone else being in the team or not but when we played the Commonwealth Series the stadiums were packed. It’s a bit disappointing if there are no spectators to watch the game. We will definitely qualify, no doubt about it. But for big games like against France and Poland having experienced players like Rajpal will make a difference. The youngsters also can fall back on the seniors’ experience.

Nandini: If they (HI officials) call you back to join the squad, will you return?

Arjun: I don’t know. I haven’t thought about it at all. I don’t even know if I will play or not. Being in that situation, I think it would be pretty apparent whether you will have a future in the team or not. I haven’t taking any decision. It’s not based on my form at all. Only deserving players should make it to the team, irrespective of the players’ stature. It’s like how Kapil Dev gave a statement about Sachin yesterday; performance really counts. There is no problem for me among my teammates as such. Everyone respects me. But I will enjoy my work only if there is job satisfaction otherwise there is no point in staying back. I have told the coach too. Its not like I fought with him. He just said the next camp will start in march and the Olympics is coming up, but I told him that I need a break and that I wanted to go home for some time. When time comes, either they have to take a call or I will have to decide.

Nandini: What about WSH? Hopefully this time the tournament will take off?

Arjun: See, one needs to look at the overall picture. In one month if a player is earning 15-20 lakhs, it’s a big thing. People shouldn’t see this as IHF event or HI event. This is just a domestic tournament . If it does not happen then the loss is only for the players and the game not for people at the helm. It’s a big motivation for young hostel boys to play along with top players and also there is TV coverage and celebrities will come to see the matches. All these things will build their confidence. WSH can definitely give the players great exposure.

Nandini: Much like in cricket, WSH too is relying on big names like Dhanraj Pillay, Viren Rasquinha, Gaganjeet Singh and yourself to make the tournament popular. Does that show that India has not produced any big stars in the past decade?

Arjun: In 2004 when I debuted for India, I used to be a little nervous about facing the seniors; there were so many of them. But post 2004 onward, they started phasing out the seniors one by one. Now, a new player coming into the team and going is not a new thing at all. Dhanraj continues to have a great face value. When Dhanraj left there was a huge void. There is talent, but no attitude. You don’t just need talent to be a star but you also need the right kind of attitude. Unfortunately, the federation didn’t really groom anyone to be on par with Dhanraj.

Nandini: What is your opinion about rotation in captaincy?

Arjun: In hockey, people say there is no value for a Captain. But according to me, its very important. You need to have a leader to take the team futher. One captain should be given time to settle with the team just like the caoch. Performace is a must for him to gain respect. Dhanraj has been the best captain so far. Nobody has been able to live up to his level. He is a true leader.