Adam Sinclair proves a point

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Adam Sinclair has used the World Series Hockey tournament, which concluded on April 2, to showcase his undoubted talent.

Playing for Chennai Cheetahs, the forward fired nine field goals from 14 matches, an impressive return considering the fact the scorers’ chart is full of penalty corner specialists.

Adam is eighth on the list. The only field goal expert above him is Sher-E-Punjab veteran Deepak Thakur. Punjab emerged champions eventually and playing in such a strong team evidently helped Thakur reap a rich harvest.

The dynamic forward, who was a notable athlete in his school days, endeared himself to Chennai fans with a fine performance against Delhi Wizards on March 28. Despite trailing the Wizards 1-3, the Cheetahs ultimately emerged on top by a 6-4 scoreline. Adam was at his best on the day, scoring two crucial goals.

Later, Chennai coach Jose Brasa singled out Adam for special praise. “Adam was outstanding against the Wizards. He didn’t put a foot wrong. He had a hand in all our goals,” he added.

The abiding memory of Chennai’s seven matches at home would be the resplendent goal Adam scored against Punjab. Nobody would have sensed danger when a speculative pass was hit into the circle, but Adam slammed the ball in on the run with a touch of class. It was probably the best field goal of the inaugural WSH.

Adam has all the tools — speed, endurance, stick work, anticipation, agility, intelligence and instinct — to be a world-class forward. More importantly, he has a burning desire to succeed. At 28, he is at the peak of his powers.

It is a pity that a player of Adam’s calibre continues to be ignored by the national selectors. The Chennai star is a victim of infighting in hockey administration and is paying for no fault of his. It is difficult to believe that he isn’t even being considered for camps.

If the selectors have time to watch the video of Chennai’s WSH matches, they will better appreciate Adam’s ability and utility. But the wise men are known to pick their teams without even knowing the name of the players in the fray. Indian hockey selectors are a rare species; they select teams without watching a single domestic match.