PETALING JAYA: Juggling between studies and sports can be exhausting but national hockey team’s newcomer Pavandip Singh doesn’t mind.
The civil engineering student at the UCSI University attends online classes three times a week and trains twice a day at the National Hockey Stadium.
“It has not been easy. During centralised training, we used to train twice a day most of the time, and fortunately my coach (A. Arulselvaraj) is understanding and allows me to attend classes too, ” he said.
“Sometimes, I had to miss classes because of a friendly match or an important training session.
“Attending classes alone isn’t enough to pass exams, so I usually try to find time after my training to study and do my own revision. Sometimes, I even watch recorded classes to learn what I’ve missed.
“It’s physically and mentally exhausting because I give my 100% in both. It’s a challenging period for me but one that will make me stronger.”
The six-footer, who played for Butterfly Roma HCC in the Italian League last year, is one of four uncapped players in the team. The others are goalkeeper Mohd Shafie Sahrom, defender Zulpidaus Mizun and striker Nur Rahull Hrshikesa Tatchana Murthy.
The Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) player hopes to make his debut for Malaysian Tigers this year but he has to wait to longer as the Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled from March 11-19 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, has been postponed due to Covid-19.
“Without tournaments, the focus is to improve on my strength and fitness.
“I hope to be a better player by training alongside all the experienced players in the team, ” he said.
Pavandip comes from a hockey-playing family.
His younger sister, Kirandeep Kaur, is a regular in the women’s national team while his father Gurdip has turned out for Perak.
