It wouldn’t be wrong to say that in Mumbai and Maharashtra, Yuvraj Walmiki and hockey are synonymous with each other. Yuvraj, who picked up the hockey stick in the year 1999, has been a member of the Indian team that won the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy. He was also part of the 2014 World Cup squad. Having such wide experience playing the national sport, Yuvraj speaks about his journey and his shootout against Pakistan in 2011 which completely changed his life.

As the country celebrates National Sports Day on the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, Yuvraj also spoke at length about how some of the former hockey players have been demanding Bharat Ratna for the legend.

Ahead of Major Dhyan Chand’s 115th birth anniversary, several former and current hockey players, including Yuvraj, had come together recently to demand Bharat Ratna, the country’s highest civilian award, for him.

In an exclusive chat with
Mirror Online, Yuvraj said, “It’s unfortunate that we celebrate the day in his name yet people are fighting for Bharat Ratna for him. Recently, some great players like Gurbux Singh, Harbinder Singh and Ashok Kumar came together to discuss this. He had led India to three successive Olympics gold medals and even wowed Hitler with his performance. I’ve played in Germany for eight years and every player there still knows about Dhyaan Chand Ji. His records say everything and his contributions to Indian hockey are incapable of being matched. I believe that no one should be asking for Bharat Ratna for him, in fact, it should directly be handed over to him.”

The extraordinary tale of Yuvraj Walmiki


As the saying goes, it is always the darkest before dawn. For Yuvraj too, this was true before he got selected in the national team. Born and brought up in Marine Lines, he grew up in a 10X10 sq feet house. The humble lodging neither had electricity connection nor water supply. However, none of these problems could constrict his dream of becoming an international name in sports.

Reminiscing the journey, Yuvraj says, “It has been amazing. I started playing hockey in 1999. I remember once seeing a photo of one of my classmates in the newspaper and that’s when I had decided to work so hard that even I could have my photo in the paper. That was the initial aim, but gradually, the sport became my passion, and today, hockey is everything for me.”

“However, in those days, our financial condition was so bad that it was quite tough for my parents to even afford a hockey stick for me. Then, from getting dropped from the teams, facing rejections to being injured while playing, there had been a lot of ups and downs in my life but I wanted to break the barriers and change the mindset of people who believed that nothing can be achieved without money. I had seen my parents struggle every day and I always dreamt of giving them a luxurious life. That was the only motive I had to play in those days,” he added.

In 2007, Yuvraj became the youngest player to join Air India, which at that time had the best players from the country playing for the team. He says that it was a big honour and also an achievement at that moment as he was playing for the team without even playing in the Indian junior camp.

However, after a three-year debacle, Yuvraj started playing again in 2010 and within two months, he received a call from the India A team. He then went with the team to play in Bangladesh at the South Asian Games. Yuvraj donned the Indian jersey for the first time that year and since then, there’s been no looking back.

Shootout against Pakistan that changed his life…


For the young Yuvraj, the hockey stick became the magic wand that helped him change his destiny.

Yuvraj, who showed nerves of steel when he smashed the penalty against Pakistan to give India a crucial 3-1 lead in the Asian Champions Trophy finals in China in 2011, says that becoming the flag-bearer of India’s victory against Pakistan meant a lot.

“When we landed in Mumbai, after winning the trophy, the first call I got was from late Shri Balasaheb Thackeray, who congratulated me and said that he wanted to meet me. There were hundreds of people at the airport who came to receive me. Uddhav Thackeray Ji and Aaditya Thackeray had also come there, and seeing them there for me is something which I can never forget. Also, when I met Balasaheb at Matoshree, he asked me what I want and I said we didn’t have electricity at home for the last 40 years and before I could reach home from Matoshree that day, there was an electricity connection at home. It is still the best moment of my life and that one goal had completely changed my life,” he said.

‘The hunger for playing for India will never die’


Yuvraj believes that getting into the national team is tough but the most difficult job is to sustain that position. Elaborating on it, he says, “You never know how things turn. The day you become a little bit easy (does he mean complacent?) or satisfied with your life or your performance, I think that’s when the downfall begins. After I got selected in the Indian team I felt that I have achieved everything and there’s nothing beyond it. But later I realised that that was just the start. I am happy that I represented my country for seven years. Of course, I didn’t get a chance to play the Olympics but my brother Devinder Walmiki fulfilled my dream in 2016.”

“There’s still a long way to go. I understand that it’s difficult to get into the national team now but that hunger of playing for the country will never die and I am definitely not giving up anytime soon,” he added.

Yuvraj’s stance on sports culture in India


Lamenting the lack of sports culture in India, Yuvraj maintains, “Today’s kids don’t take up sports that easily. Today we are celebrating National Sports Day but many people will not be aware of what is the motive behind celebrating this day. It’s important to develop a sports culture in our country. We need to showcase the talents of sporting legends and definitely talk about the forgotten heroes of our country.”

“Children should be encouraged to take up sports, even if they don’t want to play professionally, it will help them have a disciplined and healthy life, which I believe is extremely important in today’s time,” Yuvraj added.

Yuvraj speaks from his heart when it comes to his first love, hockey and even more when asked to suggest ways to take the sport to the next level.

Talking about the present condition of hockey in Mumbai and Maharashtra, he says, “There is always room for improvement and talking about our state, we really need to buck up. There are only three astro-turfs in the entire state. It’s very unfortunate that this isn’t a part of the infrastructure. If we want to promote hockey at the grassroots level, then more inter-district tournaments should be organised but before that obviously there have to be enough grounds as well.”

Khiladi, but of a different kind!

After wooing the country with his performance on the field, Yuvraj featured in the seventh season of adventure reality show Khatron Ke Khiladi in 2016. He was also the first hockey player to participate in a reality show.

Sharing his experience of the show, he says, “It was a great experience as I got to interact with so many people, perform challenging stunts and make friends including Jay Bhanushali, Raghav Juyal, Faizal Khan, Tina Dutta, and Mahi Vij. Now from friends all of them have become like family to me.”

Apart from that, Yuvraj has made his acting debut in a web series. “If I get a chance I would love to work in films and shows. I will not think twice but will also not risk my hockey career for it. Hockey is my first priority and will always remain but if given a chance and if I feel I have time and when I can balance sports and other things, I will definitely do it,” he concludes.