It was the beginning of 2015 when Kiran Arunasalam was selected in Australian junior squad, the one right in the national selector's line of vision. Having been part of Kookaburras' group of 25 talented young players, Arunasalam's first job was to compete at Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia before cementing his place for Junior World Cup in India.
Arunasalam's parents are of Indian origin but born and brought up in Malaysia. They settled in Australia 35 years ago. The young player traces his heritage to a little known town of Tirupattur in the Vellore district of Tamil Nadu.
"My mother and dad are Malaysian Indians, they were born and brought up in Malaysia. But we still have a family house there in Tirupattur, where I have been twice so far," said a smiling junior Aussie striker who last visited his ancestral home in 2012.
Talking about playing alongwith Aussies, who are known for their high level of fitness, he said, "Maybe I'm not as fit as them (hinting towards his teammates), but then I have my own set of skills. I'm a little bit faster and more agile then my other teammates."
Despite the hectic schedule, Arunasalam has been able to keep a good balance between his studies and hockey. "I've been student of marketing," Arunasalam said.
Arunasalam burst into the national scene only after being part of the gold medal winning Under-21 Victorian team at the National tournament. A solid performance then in AHL (Australian Hockey League) opened the gates of national reckoning for him.
Since then he has not just been competing with his Aussie teammates but has made a special place for himself in a country, which has dominated world hockey for more than three decades. But the real test starts now for these Aussie colts because they were beaten by India at Johor Cup last year.
"India is definitely a challenge. We were beaten in Johor last year," he said. "I love playing against my other home, Malaysia, because the crowd is massive when we played them twice. But playing against India is certainly more challenging."
Having taken up hockey while watching his elder brother, who is now a runner, Arunasalam's real challenge would be to help his team regain this Junior WC after a gap of nearly 20 years, the only one was back in 1997 at Milton Keynes where Indian Colts lost in the final.
"People here in Lucknow are so friendly. I have only been able to see the 'Bhool Bhulaiya', a labyrinth of about a thousand passageways at Bada Imambara, here. But would certainly love to visit more places during the course of the tournament," said Arunasalam before joining his teammates in spectators gallery again.
Though this is his first visit to the City of Kebabs, he is yet to taste the typical local cuisine, being served at Lucknow's nook and corners.
"I have tasted a bit of local food after reaching here but have not got any chance to go out and eat. May be that would happen later," added Arunasalam.
