Thursday will be special for more than one reason for Tamil Nadu’s hockey enthusiasts, especially the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT). Having put in a lot of effort to bring the Asian Champions Trophy and renovating the Mayor Radhakrishnan Stadium – which includes laying down a new turf – the SDAT will rejoice also as one of its own, Karthi Selvam, will be leading India’s forward line against China.

The 21-year-old Karthi, who hails from Ariyalur district that sits in the belly of the state, has already made an impression at the international stage, netting goals against Australia and world champions Germany during the Pro League season that concluded in March.

One of the young forwards vying for a spot at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Karthi’s strengths are his speed and movement inside the striking circle, that make him capable of causing all sorts of problems for the opposition backline. He is one of the forwards that has been chosen to invest in post the Tokyo Olympics bronze, but India could have ended up losing Karthi to the turbulent times that the pandemic put people through.

With his family unable to stay afloat during the lockdown, Karthi, after coming back from the junior men’s national camp in Bengaluru, worked part-time at a bakery in Ariyalur for Rs 5,000 a month to support his father Selvam who worked as a watchman.

“Those were testing times, but I had the confidence that I can always come back. This will be a very emotional moment for me because this is one of the places where I grew up learning the sport and to be standing here, wearing the India jersey feels surreal. It will be a big moment for me and I’m just trying to handle it the best way I can,” Karthi told The Indian Express.

To watch the moment live, his parents and close family have hired a bus from Ariyalur to be in attendance on Thursday. And they are not the only ones waiting to savour the occasion as two of his coaches – R Siva and N Muthukumar, who trained him at the SDAT Sports Hostel of Excellence – and close friend Nandha Kumar, who paired up with Karthi up front in their junior hockey days and now works as a constable in Tamil Nadu Police, will also be there.

In Wednesday’s sweltering heat, Siva, who was busy arranging chairs at the Kalaignar Centenary Pavilion when India’s practice session was on, took a moment out to go down and hug Karthi. “Speed is his natural gift and biggest strength,” said Siva, who is manager at the SDAT Sports Hostel. “To start off, he was playing in the backline and in midfield, but after seeing his speed, I tried him in the front in school tournaments and he started clicking immediately. Once we moved him to the front, he showed that he can not only dribble quickly, but also get into the right positions. And to compliment all of it, he has an eye for goal. It all came naturally to him.” 

Although Karthi picked up the sport in Ariyalur, he would move to Chennai to train at the YMCA Sports Hostel, under the SDAT umbrella. He would finish his high school in Chennai, before moving to the sports hostel in Trichy to complete his Class XI and XII. Having stood out with his goals, he would get enrolled at the SDAT Sports Hostel of Excellence in Kovilpatti.