1980 Moscow Olympics gold medal-winning hockey teammates and good friends Mervyn Fernandis and Zafar Iqbal have been enjoying the action at the Asian Champions Trophy here. Seated side-by-side in the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium’s VIP enclosure, the former strike partners are often seen in animated discussions and exchanging notes on the proceedings.  

So what do they make of this Indian team’s performance? “Our team have the luxury of five drag flickers and all are brilliant. We have Harmanpreet Singh, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jugraj Singh and Jarmanpreet Singh. I think it is this kind of quality that helps a team make all the difference in today’s fast-paced modern hockey,” said Fernandis.