Former junior hockey star Rajiv Mishra passes away

Former hockey player Rajiv Mishra stood out with nine goals in 1997 Junior World Cup (Pic: Twitter/Dilip Tirkey)

Former hockey player Rajiv Mishra, who was the star in India's silver medal win in 1997 Junior Men's World Cup, has passed away at the age of 46.

The former India junior forward was found dead at his residence in Sarsauli area of Varanasi under mysterious circumstances.

He is survived by his wife and two children.

"Rajiv's untimely death is a big setback for Indian hockey. He was an exceptional hockey player with extraordinary skills," his childhood coach Prem Shanker Shukla said.

According to sources, Rajiv might have died a few days back and it was his neighbours who informed the police after a foul smell started to come out of his house.

Rajiv, considered the next big thing in Indian hockey then, used to stay alone as he was posted as chief inspector of ticket (CIT) with Northern Railway's Lucknow Division at Varanasi.

Rajiv, who hails from Leeludabait village in Hajipur in Bihar, was famous for his curly long hair, tied in a bandana, and once had a huge fan base after his heroics at the 1997 Junior World Cup in London.

It was Shukla who brought Rajiv to Varanasi from Kolkata at the age of 13 after Kolkata's Entally Athletic Club head Asim Ganguly requested him to help the young player.

"Rajiv was just a normal hockey player when I enrolled him in the SAI hostel in Varanasi, but he worked hard and honed his skills and rose to extraordinary levels in a short span of time," Shukla said.

Shukla also recalled Rajiv's exploits in the Junior World Cup in London, where he scored a diving goal against Germany in the semifinal.

India lost the Junior World Cup final 2-3 to Australia but Rajiv stood out with nine goals in the tournament.

But his booming career suffered a setback just before the 1998 (senior) World Cup in Utrecht, the Netherlands when he sustained a career-ending knee injury following a body clash with the then Indian goalkeeper AB Subbiah.

A miss-managed rehabilitation following a surgery and lack of support from the then Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) finally drew curtains on a promising career.

Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey condoled the sad demise of Rajiv.

"I am deeply saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Rajiv Mishra, a talented former Junior International Hockey player. His passion and dedication to the sport were truly inspiring. My heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the entire hockey community," Tirkey tweeted.

(With PTI inputs)

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