Rasquinha stuns Indian hockey with retirement

Viren Rasquinha said that for once he took a decision with his head and not with his heart.

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Mumbai: Former India captain Viren Rasquinha has announced his retirement from hockey at the age of just 28. Viren who is an Arjuna Awardee and was a member of the junior world cup winning squad in 2001 will now pursue a career in business administration.

He spoke to Roma Khanna about the decision to quit in the Olympic year.

Viren Rasquinha: Definitely, it has been a very fixed feeling for me. It is really a hard decision for me and I am sad in a way because hockey has been such a big passion for me. It is something I really love to do but at the same time it is going to be a new phase of life for me that is very exciting and appealing to me. I am very ambitious and I really want to do very well in my corporate career and in future as well.

Roma Khanna: You have been at the crossroad, so how easy was it for you to arrive at this decision?

Viren Rasquinha: Hockey is something that is hard to forget overnight and it is hard to leave the game and to think that I won't be playing for the country again after doing it for the past 8 years. In that respect, its been pretty tough for me but then again as I said I have always been a practical person in life and this is the fantastic opportunity for me to go to Hyderabad. And for once I have taken a decision with my head and not with my heart.

Roma Khanna: What are the memories that you take back with you in these 8 years of playing international hockey as you start a new journey?

Viren Rasquinha: There have been lots of highs and lots of lows which is part and parcel of every sportsperson's life. Good memories are when we won the junior World Cup, when I walked out for my first match in the Olympics in Athens. It was fantastic atmosphere at the ground.