{"id":291369,"date":"2025-04-27T03:54:02","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T03:54:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/midfield-mesmeriser-mohammad-raheel-can-be-indian-hockeys-linkman-with-his-creativity-and-dodging-dribbles\/"},"modified":"2025-04-27T03:54:03","modified_gmt":"2025-04-27T03:54:03","slug":"midfield-mesmeriser-mohammad-raheel-can-be-indian-hockeys-linkman-with-his-creativity-and-dodging-dribbles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/midfield-mesmeriser-mohammad-raheel-can-be-indian-hockeys-linkman-with-his-creativity-and-dodging-dribbles\/","title":{"rendered":"Midfield mesmeriser Mohammad Raheel can be Indian hockey\u2019s linkman with his creativity and dodging dribbles"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Midfield<\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

The hockey stick is their family heirloom. And playing the sport is like continuing a decades-long tradition.<\/p>\n

Mohammad Raheel, 27, the latest skilled sensation from India\u2019s national hockey team, was only five years old when he stepped on the gravel-based surface of the HAL ground in Bangalore<\/a>. Yet, it felt like the most natural thing for him to do. After all, playing hockey is what every male member of his family has done since the 1950s.<\/p>\n

\n

It started in the early post-independence years when his grandfather, Mohammad Amiruddin, began playing hockey for the postal department team. Raheel\u2019s father, Mohammad Naseeruddin, then took over the baton, flourishing in the domestic circuit while playing for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Naseeruddin\u2019s two brothers also followed in their father\u2019s footsteps \u2013 Mohammad Jani Moeddin making a name for himself in Bombay, playing for the Tatas.<\/p>\n

His elder sibling, Nazeeruddin, spent years playing in the circuit in Bangalore. Raheel\u2019s brother, Nayeemuddin, carried forward the legacy and made it to India\u2019s junior team.<\/p>\n

But none of them reached as far as Raheel. \u201cHe is a little extra-ordinary,\u201d Naseeruddin gushes.<\/p>\n

Last week, the hockey world got a glimpse into what Bangalore\u2019s proud sporting family have long believed. In what was an otherwise forgettable tour of Australia for the Indian hockey team, suffering a 5-0 whitewash, Raheel emerged a revelation.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With his sublime dodging skills, the attacking midfielder glided past the imposing Australians. He looked in control of himself and the game, reading situations and using his game IQ to counter Australia\u2019s aggressive pressing. And each time he got the ball, Raheel\u2019s first instinct was to march forward.<\/p>\n

For an Indian team struggling to get its attacking act together with barely 100 days left for the Paris Olympics, Raheel has presented coach Craig Fulton an option. The Australia tour and the Pro League earlier this year were an audition for the team for the Olympics. The question then is, has he done enough to make a late push for a spot in the 16-member Paris-bound squad?<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe he has made good use of the three chances he got in Perth. He has waited a long time for these opportunities,\u201d Naseeruddin says.<\/p>\n

Naseeruddin speaks not only as Raheel\u2019s father but also as his first coach. He speaks fondly of a young Raheel, inspired by the great Dhanraj Pillay, practising the dribble alone in a corner of the ground while the elders played a match.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

With his mesmerising skills, honed on the uneven surface, Raheel began grabbing the attention of all those who saw him play.<\/p>\n

Naseeruddin recalls this time when he had made the short trip from Bangalore to Chennai<\/a> to watch Raheel play in the sub-junior National Championship final against Tamil Nadu<\/a>. The father \u2013 the coach \u2013 sat anxiously in the stands, watching Raheel and also eavesdropping on the conversations the old-timers were having.<\/p>\n

A sentence they kept repeating stayed with Naseeruddin: \u2018Avlo nala ula edithitu povan\u2019 \u2013 \u2018He dribbles so well into the \u2018D\u2019.\u2019 \u201cWhen he got the ball, even if it was at the centre-line, everybody knew he would get into the \u2018D\u2019,\u201d Naseeruddin says.<\/p>\n

The dodge became his identity, a skill that even impressed the great Jude Felix \u2013 former India captain and Dronacharya Award-winning coach \u2013 when he saw Raheel at inter-school tournaments in Bangalore.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Years later, in 2018, Felix got a chance to directly impact Raheel\u2019s game when he was the coach of India\u2019s under-23 team that travelled to Belgium for a five-nation tournament. Felix noticed that Raheel, who was selected as a forward, \u2018didn\u2019t have the poaching ability and finishing skills to become a great striker.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the way he handled the ball, his understanding of the game, sense of passing, the kind of runs he made and the cunningness, these were all attributes of a very good midfielder,\u201d he says. \u201cSo, I mentioned (to Hockey India) five-six years ago that this boy should be made to play in the midfield and be coached in that role.\u201d<\/p>\n

Raheel had to wait for four years for his next major assignment. Then India coach Graham Reid picked him as a midfielder, as Felix suggested, for the Pro League matches and a tour to Australia in late 2022, months before the World Cup on home soil. Raheel played \u2013 and impressed \u2013 in the few chances he got. But when the squad was named, his name was missing.<\/p>\n

Since then, he\u2019s remained a regular in the core group but a national team call-up remained elusive. There are suggestions within the hockey circles that now is the right time to give Raheel a longer rope.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Creates chances<\/h2>\n

With India\u2019s midfield and forward line struggling to connect, and the team unable to win penalty corners or create scoring opportunities against big teams, Raheel \u2013 along with Hardik Singh \u2013 can sprinkle a dash of creativity in the midfield. It could also give India a Plan B when the aerial-ball strategy might not work.<\/p>\n

Felix has glowing remarks for Raheel but also says the midfielder \u2018has to be coached\u2019 and has to \u2018see more of the ball\u2019. He cites the example from the fifth match against Australia when Raheel tried to dribble past three players in front of him and lost the ball.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where coaching is needed,\u201d Felix says. \u201cBut the coach must also know how to use him. A good player can\u2019t get a ball just a couple of times, that\u2019s not good enough. People have to know how to pass the ball to him; he must know how to pick the ball so you can see him in action and be much more effective.\u201d<\/p>\n