Hockey Pro League: Indian-origin Anand Gupte hopes to make his dream Australia debut count | Hockey News – Times of India

ROURKELA: It was a dream day for the four Australian hockey players who made their senior debut during their FIH Pro League game against Germany at Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium here on Saturday.
Among them was Anand Gupte, whose father Nitin is originally from Pune but has been staying Down Under for almost 30 years, and he couldn’t be happier having achieved his dream of finally playing for Australia, and that too in front of a massive crowd.
Making it even more special was the presence of his mother Rebekah, who came down from Canberra, and his paternal grandmother, who made the journey from Pune. “It was an amazing experience and fantastic atmosphere. It’s a very prestigious team and it means a lot to me. I have worked very hard over the years to get here. It was an honour and privilege to be here,” said Gupte during an interaction with the reporters after the match.
What made him even happier was that two of the other three debutants – Ben Staines and Davis Atkins — came from his city. “Yes, it was very special. Obviously, we were pretty inexperienced but everyone around us was very supportive. There was a bit of pressure but it’s ok for a debut game,” added the youngster, who started playing hockey with his brother and with a little inspiration from their mother.
“Mom used to play when she was young so when we were about 10 years old, we started playing the game. She was an influence but it was our interest,” said Gupte.

(TOI Photo)
Rebekah not only played the game but later also shifted to officiating matches. “It’s a surreal moment to see him play against India. Very proud that he was able to make his debut in India,” Rebekah said before Australia’s match against India on Sunday.
As for Anand’s brother, Niranjan, he went on to play for the Australian Under 21 team and participated in Sultan of Johor Cup in 2018. Although Niranjan couldn’t break into the senior side, he played a huge role in helping Anand become a better hockey player.
“It was always a friendly competition and we kept each other going. We pushed each other when we were younger and we had a lot of fun playing together. It was a very healthy environment to be in and it helped us become better hockey players,” said Anand.
Keeping hockey aside, Anand has a Bachelor of Commerce/Finance from Australian National University in 2020 and works at the Australian Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Perth.
As for the match against Germany, he had quite a good game and even got a chance to convert a penalty corner in the last quarter. But he couldn’t get it past goalkeeper Jean-Paul Danneberg, who put up a match-winning performance.
Anand will now hope to carry on his good show in the next matches and try to seal his place in the team ahead of the Olympics next year. It will be a mighty challenge but coach Colin Batch has been quite pleased with him. “He has fit in well and has got a good mentality. He will make mistakes as every new player does but he is a very resilient person and I expect him to do well,” said Batch during a press conference ahead of the tournament.
Well, he has had a good start and now it’s all about going forward and making it all worth it.

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