Lalit Upadhyay's sole purpose of picking up a hockey stick was to support his unemployed father and mother, who used to stitch clothes to feed the family. But as luck would have it, he went on to don India colours and be a part of the national side that won back-to-back Olympic medals.
A member of the bronze medal-winning India team at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics, Lalit retired from international hockey after the European leg of the FIH Pro League this month and said his decision had nothing to do with the country's unflattering results in Europe.
"I am almost 32 years old and I felt that now is the time to bid adieu. I wanted to retire while being at the peak and despite the ligament injury, my fitness and form have been great," the experienced midfielder, who has scored 67 goals in 183 matches for India, told PTI Bhasha in an interview.
On whether there was pressure on him to retire, he said, "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."
India had an abysmal outing during the European leg of the Pro League, finishing eighth among nine teams after losing seven games.
"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," he said.
India's only win in the European leg of the Pro League came in the last match against Belgium and the dream of automatically qualifying for the World Cup was also shattered.
Revisiting his past, 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," said the veteran who was also a part of the 2022 Asian Games gold-winning team.
In 2008, at the the age of 17, Lalit's fledgling career came to a sudden halt when he was embroiled in an unnecessary scandal.
Posing as an agent, a reporter offered then Indian Hockey Federation secretary K Jothikumaran a sponsorship deal only if a player of their choice was taken into the national team, and Lalit's name was taken as a bait.
Lalit was unaware of such a 'deal. Shaken by the incident, he almost quit hockey.
"'I was 17 years old and had come with a dream of playing for India. After that incident, I was out of the team and for four years. I faced people's taunts and suspicious eyes. I don't know how many times I cried alone," said Lalit, calling it the worst phase of his life.
"I could not even go home thinking about what people would say. My mother said 'if you are right, don't leave hockey. Play well and get a job'. That phase made me more determined to play for India. After this I played for Air India and people started recognising my talent," 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.
