The fortunes of Singapore’s men’s hockey team at this month’s Asian Games largely rests on a family whose oldest member Krishnan Vijayan Naidu, 58, is the coach.
His second son Dineshraj, 25, is a dashing forward while Hariraj, 23, is a utility player (someone who can play in any position as needed).
“It’ll be difficult for Singapore to get a podium finish as there are world-class teams in the fray,” said former Singapore coach Rajan Krishan, a Malaysian who was at the helm from 2016 to 2020.
“I was the one who brought Vijayan’s sons into the national team when they were teens, as they showed impressive pace and discipline. Both started as forwards and have matured to be dependable players for Singapore.
“The Asian Games will be a good experience for them as they will get to play against some of the top players. They will be better prepared for the future.”
Singapore are drawn against Pakistan, Japan, India, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan in the preliminary pool at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, from Sept 23 to Oct 8.
Currently, ranked ninth in Asia, they have a realistic chance of finishing seventh or eighth if they beat the weaker teams in the pool, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan.
“Anything is possible,” said Vijayan, who took over as Singapore’s men’s team coach in 2020.
“We have a bunch of young boys raring to go. At the Phnom Penh SEA Games in May, we finished with a silver, achieving our goal to better our bronze-medal showing at the 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia.”
Vijayan, who has been involved in Singapore hockey for 47 years and played for the national team at the 1991 Intercontinental Qualifiers and 1992 SEA Games, added that he puts extra pressure on his sons to deliver on the field.
“There is no outside coaching. What I give everybody else in the team, I give them too,” he said of Dineshraj and Hariraj, who are both former St Andrew Secondary students.
“Both have good attitude and discipline. With self-belief, there’s increased confidence. Both have tremendous speed and will give their all for the national team.
“I did not force them to take up hockey. They picked it up on their own for their co-curricular activity. Of course, they also saw me play hockey and wanted to follow suit.”
Hariraj was a good rugby player when he switched to hockey in school. “I took up hockey for fun but soon realised I was good at it. My school coach Paramjit Singh and my father shaped my play,” he said.
Vijayan said Hariraj, who will be pursuing a degree at PSB Academy, can be very demanding of his teammates. “But I have told him to control himself as other players may not be of the same level, so he should focus on his own game instead.”
Dineshraj is currently pursuing a degree at the University of Western Australia in Perth and turns out for the UWA Hockey Club.
“I’m still learning. Along with my technical skills, I also have to build my mental strength. The hockey in Perth is of a high standard and I get to play against some of the top Australian players,” he said.
His oldest brother Darshanraj, 31, is currently a coach understudy to their father. He switched to coaching after he could not break into the national team.
In recent years, Darshanraj guided Chongzheng Primary School and Huamin Primary School to National School Games titles.
“My father gives me a format to follow. I fine-tune it to make it intense for the boys,” he revealed.
It was also through hockey that Vijayan met his wife Thanam, 61. He was a coach at Ceylon Sports Club, where she was a player.
“I played decent hockey until age 27, when our first boy was born,” said the sister of former Singapore football international V. Khanisen. She is now a senior shipping executive.
“I played as a centre-forward for West Hill Primary School and Naval Base Secondary School,” she said.
Hockey dominates the conversations in the Naidu household, which has many photos from their local and international outings.
“I’m immensely happy that my family is into hockey, each with his own individual talents,” said Thanam.
“I will be rooting for team Singapore when they take to the field in Hangzhou.”
