Gurinder Singh, the 23-year-old defender was named in the 18-member senior Indian hockey team for next month’s Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast in Australia.

“I had just started playing hockey when my father died in a road accident when a fully loaded tractor-trolley plunged into a canal. We are a joint family and all of them have been into farming. But, my father always wanted me to pursue whatever I liked and after his death, my mother told me to concentrate on my game. My uncles and cousins would always do my work and supported me. Players likes,1972 Olympics bronze medal winning team member Brigadier Gurcharan Singh, 1980 Olympic gold medal winning team member Rajinder Singh Senior and 2014 Asian Games gold medalist Dharamvir Singh, besides many other players, have played for the Hawks Club and I will also try to give off my best during the Commonwealth Games,” said 23-year-old Gurinder Singh while speaking to Chandigarh Newsline from Bengaluru.

Gurinder Singh, who had initially trained under coach R S Rana at the club and later joined the Surjeet Hockey Academy. The youngster was member of the Indian junior team, which won the Junior Hockey World Cup in 2016 before making his debut for the senior team in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup last year. Earlier, this year, the defender played in the four nations cup in New Zealand and it also meant that Gurinder’s family followed his matches with keen interest.