Hockey India League: Karthi serves reminder, overseas players step up as TN Dragons beat Gonasika 6-5 in goalfest | Hockey News

It was a hockey classic with a tennis-like scoreline and the flow of a basketball thriller. At the end of a goalfest, it was Tamil Nadu Dragons who came back from a 0-2 deficit inside 10 minutes to edge out Team Gonasika 6-5.But the storylines lay behind the scoreline. Of a young player on the national team fringes reminding the coaching staff of his capabilities; of an India discard using the Hockey India League route to catch the attention of the national team management and show isn’t yet a ‘has-been’; of a forward trying to add a new weapon to his fast-growing repertoire; and the ultimate truth that the foreign players continue to provide more return on investments compared to their Indian counterparts.
Karthi serves a reminder
For a couple of years, Karthi Selvam has been seen as a poacher Indian hockey did not have. This was, of course, before the likes of Sukhjeet Singh and Abhishek tweaked their styles and began to show a lot more potency inside the ‘D’, or the fact that the towering presence of the six-foot-plus Araijeet Singh Hundal added variety to the attacks.
The youngster from Tamil Nadu was hailed as a striker with a great eye for goal and the ability to pop in at the right places inside the ‘D’. After initial few opportunities, more than halfway through the Paris Olympic cycle, he dropped in the national team pecking order. As the new Los Angeles Games cycle begins in a month, the 23-year-old served a reminder of his potential.

Karthi Selvam’s solo run and finish to give @tndragonshockey the victory is our Hero Moment of the Match!
Watch the LIVE coverage on DD Sports, Waves, Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 3, Sony TEN 4 and Sony LIV!#HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn #HockeyIndiaLeague #GSKAvsTMLD | @HeroMotoCorp |… pic.twitter.com/Qd8HFYgubg
— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) January 8, 2025
Seconds after Gonasika equalised 5-5, through Timothy Clement in the 58th minute of the match, Karthi received the ball on the right, near the dotted line, moments after the restart. Taking it on the run on the wrong side, he brought the ball under control, took a touch to deftly beat a defender and enter the ‘D’ with a run kissing the baseline, brought it in and, while evading a tackle, reverse swept it past the goalkeeper. It was the winning goal with seconds left to play.
A few more of those, and Karthi could make others sit up and notice him.
Nikkin justifying selection
On the other end of the spectrum is Nikkin Thimmaiah, the 33-year-old who played in the Rio Olympics — his last major assignment for team India.
Thimmaiah knows the doors of the national team are all but shut on him but like a few others, Devendra Walmiki and Affan Yousuf, for instance, there might be hope that he does something to catch Craig Fulton’s attention. Or at least justify his selection, which may have come as a surprise to a few.
A decade ago, during the HIL auctions, Thimmaiah commanded a price of Rs 58 lakh; more than someone like a Sardar Singh. This term, he went unsold initially before Team Gonasika got him for Rs 13 lakh.
The price drop may be expected but Thimmaiah has so far shown he’s at least worth being in the side. In the first game, he did enough to trouble the opposition defence before picking up an injury that forced him to miss the next couple.

That’s a HATTRICK for Jip Janssen as he brings @tndragonshockey back into the game once again!
Watch the LIVE coverage on DD Sports, Waves, Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 3, Sony TEN 4 and Sony LIV!#HeroHIL #HockeyKaJashn #HockeyIndiaLeague #GSKAvsTMLD | @SonySportsNetwk | @SonyLIV |… pic.twitter.com/O52QB5KmmR
— Hockey India League (@HockeyIndiaLeag) January 8, 2025
On his return, Thimmaiah found the back of the net, deflecting a pass from the top of the ‘D’ Vishnukant Singh to make it 3-3 for Gonasika and setting the stage for a mental finale.
Better RoI
Between the young and the not-so-young, the organisers had said the return of the league in a way showcased the rise of Indian hockey as players got better bids compared to their foreign counterparts.
The initial days, however, show that it is the international stars who are offering a better return on investment.
Take for instance Australia’s Blake Govers, who got picked for a mere Rs 27 lakh Tamil Nadu — a much lower price tag compared to most Indian national team players. On Wednesday night, he set up his teammate Jip Janssen — the Dutch penalty corner special — with a smart variation that caught the Gonasika defence off guard and ultimately led to a goal. Then, with seconds remaining, Govers made a crucial goal-line clearance to stop Gonasika from making the score 6-6; the intervention that helped his team record a win.
Govers is just one example. Alexander Hendrickx, the Belgian star who got picked for Rs 23 lakh Kalinga Lancers, is the joint second-highest goal scorer with three to his name and even Frenchman Victor Charlet, a last-minute replacement for Dutch great Jeroen Hertzberger, has done enough to enhance his reputation as well as keeping Team Gonasika in matches with his defence and drag-flicks.
Hundal, forward and flicker?
Speaking of drag-flicks, Wednesday’s match between TN and Gonasika was fascinating also because some of India’s national team regulars performed duties that they normally don’t. Like Araijeet Singh Hundal taking drag-flicks.
In national camp, Hundal is known to have a go at the goalkeepers and has a fierce flick. But that side of his hasn’t always been seen during matches. Here, with Gonasika desperately looking for an equaliser after Tamil Nadu went 6-5 up, they turned to Hundal.
The youngster had been lining up on the second castle, alongside Charlet, but didn’t get many chances. When he eventually got one, in the dying moments, he flicked high and hard. The ball looked to be going in, until a defender thought it would be better to stretch his foot and stop the ball rather than letting it head towards the goal, where it could have beaten the goalie. It helped Gonasika earn another PC, which Charlet took — and missed.
Hundal’s two field goals inside the first 10 minutes had given his team an early advantage. And he nearly equalised with a lesser-known skill; one that could come in handy given India are looking for a backup for Harmanpreet Singh. The fact that the retired Rupinderpal Singh has the third-highest PC conversions among Indians, after Harmanpreet and Jugraj Singh, speaks volumes.

In the day’s second match, for the second straight day, the team placed No 8 on the table beat a higher-ranked team as Hyderabad Toofans defeated UP Rudras 3-0 to reger their first outright win.

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