"It saddens me to say that I think the sport is not growing, it is receding" - Ace polo player Gaurav Sahgal calls for youngsters to take up the sport

Having grown up around horses, Gaurav Sahgal's life revolved around them. In his father, Rajesh Sahgal, Gaurav had the perfect inspiration to look up to. It came as no surprise then that he decided to take up the sport of polo.

Rajesh had promised to give India its best polo player in the form of his son, a promise that has been fulfilled, with Gaurav being one of the best players that India has produced.

Gaurav's association with the sport has been for over two decades now, and his firm yet kind figure is seen as being at home with horses.

Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda, on the sidelines of the friendly polo match between Guards Polo Club and La Martina during the Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI, Gaurav Sahgal opened up on the match, his journey and the current state of polo in India.

Read excerpts from the interview below:

Q: How did you feel about the exhibition match? How did you feel after the match ended in your favor? How was it playing with a youngster like Dino?

Gaurav Sahgal: I think it was a fabulous event. It was very well organised. It was a friendly exhibition. Safe horses, good environment to play, lovely to be here in Bombay playing by the sea. We had a great team. It was Naveen Singh, myself and Dino. Dino is playing well. Upcoming youngster, he's doing well. He scored most of the goals up in front today. We didn't have to do much at the back. I don't think I have a single thing to complain about.

Q: Going back in time, how did you get into this sport?

Gaurav Sahgal: So I've been playing for about two decades now and I started because my father has been playing ever since I can remember. We've been associated with horses, breeding, racing, polo. So I grew up with horses, around horses. That's how I started playing. And I'm glad to have been associated with the animal and the sport.

Q: So how does a day in the life of Gaurav Sahgal look like?

Gaurav Sahgal: It's quite a nice life. I'm thankful for it. Most days we don't have to wake up really early and run for a deadline unless we have a game that day, then we really got to run for it. You wake up, you go to the stables, you check on the horses, you exercise them in the mornings. We check on them, we practice in the evenings, we check on them in the evening again.

The entire day is mainly revolving around the stable and the horses. And then, of course, with your teammates and other players. Primary focus is given to the horses, keep them in peak fitness. Thereafter, we practice ourselves for the sport, which is taking penalties, stick and ball, so on and so forth. Hitting the gym, working out a little, getting fit. I think that's a polo player's life, pretty much. The last bit there, I slack on a little bit, but that is how the day is.

Q: So you've been playing all over the country now, being one of the most experienced players in the sport. How do you see the sport's growth and also do you see any other young talents emerging through the ranks?

Gaurav Sahgal: Lots of young talent, but unfortunately not enough. It saddens me to say that I think the sport is not growing, it is receding. I feel it's a desperate time and people need to really re-evaluate the entire structure of the sport. It's a lovely sport and I wish there were more people associated with it. I think it needs a little tweaking and it needs a lot of support.

I think we need more people coming in, we need more youngsters coming in. It's never enough. And this sport needs all the time, money and attention, so it's tough.