You know as a player that you won’t have many opportunities to play in World Cups - so you have to take them when you can.
In a country that never wins anything: in Canada, if one of our athletes so much as makes the final in a World Championship, we declare a national holiday.
When I was playing in the Ajax youth teams - when I was, say, 14, 15 - you started to get all those international youth tournaments. All those English teams came. Well, the English were much further than we were.
Broadcasters realise there is a large percentage of women that watch cricket and it was the Caribbean Premier League that first got me to commentate a men's international T20.
While there are many good courts in the country, we need to have good coaches for more players to come up. Not everyone can go to Gopichand Academy, and everyone cannot afford international tournaments.
It is important to start winning international tournaments early and get that mentality into you. Then, hopefully, you can take it on to the world stage.
I love collegiate wrestling but the thought of training for international stuff just didn't really appeal to me.
A competitive HIL means that India will be able to field a stronger team in the international tournaments.
I didn't play juniors, really. I only played Roland Garros juniors and maybe some European tournaments.
Like cricket has their 'A' team that plays against other international 'A' teams and get exposure. Hockey should also have a similar development squad, which can play in non-premium international tournament, while the national team plays in bigger meets. This way, we will have players ready with international exposure.
