Young striker Aditya Arjun Lalage decided to take up hockey as a career option after being inspired by the 2012 blockbuster 'Chak De India.’
Lalage's family has no connection with hockey but that Shah Rukh Khan-starrer movie motivated him to take up the sport and now he will be making his India debut in the two-match Test series against Germany on October 23.
Belongs to a family of farmers hailing from Satara in Maharashtra, he has been included in the Indian team for the two Tests to be held in New Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday.
"I have been a fan of Shah Rukh Khan since childhood. I saw the film 'Chak De India' in which he played a hockey coach and also gave a famous '70 minute speech'. Only after that I got interested in playing hockey," the 21-year-old forward said.
He also wishes to meet Shah Rukh someday.
''I have never met him till now but I want to meet him someday," said Lalage, who scored three goals in six matches in India's fourth place finish in the Junior Hockey World Cup in Kuala Lumpur last year.
Lalage, the youngest of four siblings, started playing hockey at the age of 10 at the Maharashtra Government Academy in Pune and his family fully supported him in his endeavour.
"Even though no one in my family played, I was given complete freedom to play. This made my journey easier," he said.
He considers Indian captain Harmanpreet Singh as his role model, and aspires to represent India at the Olympics.
"Harmanpreet Singh is my role model in hockey who plays brilliantly without taking much pressure. I was very inspired to see the team winning the bronze medal under his captaincy at the Paris Olympics. In future, I also want to play in the Olympics and win a gold medal," he said.
Olympic medal winners like Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh, Abhishek are part of the Indian forwardline of which Lalage will be a part now.
"This healthy competition inspires us to give the best performance. There is very good coordination between everyone inside and outside the field. The captain and the coach have also told me to play freely," he said.
He also feels that with two consecutive Olympic medals and the restart of Hockey India League, the future of the sport looks bright in India.
"The matches against Germany will be good and if we give our 100 percent, we are capable of beating them. Now this Indian team has the strength to defeat any team in the world,” he added.
"We don't concede goals in the last minute anymore and after falling behind, we are winning matches by coming back," he said.
He is set to play for SG Pipers Delhi in the upcoming HIL, the club is making a comeback after seven years.
Lalage did not get a chance to play with the legendary PR Sreejesh, who is the team mentor of the Delhi franchise in HIL.
"I could not play with him but I hope to learn a lot from him in the league. He is a legend and it is a matter of pride to be in his team,” he concluded.
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