Many in the Indian team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh, wanted Lalit Upadhyay to not retire from international hockey but the 32-year-old midfielder said that he had already made up his mind before making the announcement. Lalit made the announcement in an Instagram post, thus bringing the curtains down on a storied career in which he won medals at consecutive Olympics, an Asian Games gold and bronze and a Commonwealth Games silver among a host of other medals and trophies.
“I am almost 32 years old and I felt that now is the time to bid adieu,” Lalit is quoted as saying by PTI. “I wanted to retire while being at the peak and despite the ligament injury, my fitness and form have been great.”
Lalit retires with 67 goals in 183 matches for India. His decision came at the end of a horrific run for the team in the FIH Pro League in which they lost seven matches on the bounce. Lalit said that this had nothing to do with his decision. “I have taken this decision myself. I did not want to drag myself. Many people, including (captain) Harmanpreet Singh, wanted me to keep playing but I had made up my mind,” he said.
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“The team was very cooperative but the time (to retire) had come. Even before going to Europe for the Pro League, I was thinking about quitting. I will continue playing domestic hockey and leagues.”
Lalit said he took up hockey to support his family as the small cloth shop was not doing well. “My family condition was very bad when I took up hockey. My father’s small cloth shop was closed and my mother had to stitch clothes. I took up the sport in search of a better future… a job. When my elder brother and I used to stay in day-boarding, we used to get Rs. 250-300 with which we bought a sewing machine for our mother,” he said.
Asked about the best moment of his career, he recalls the quarterfinal against Great Britain at the Paris Olympics when India won in the shootout. He feels that despite a string of losses, India’s performance in the Europe leg of the Pro League was not bad and the matches were close. “Many new things were tried and we learnt a lot. We managed to defeat a top team like Belgium.” Lalit also expressed his desire to serve Indian hockey as a coach. “If Hockey India wants, I am ready for it. I want to help the future generation of hockey players.” he said.
