Mumbai-based hockey Olympian Devindar Walmiki has added another feather to his hat, leading the Petroleum Sports Promotion Board (PSPB) to a hat-trick of gold medals at the India Senior Men’s Inter-Department National Championships recently.
The 18-team tournament was held at the Naval Tata Hockey Academy Ground in Jamshedpur from September 30 to October 10. In the run-up to the final, PSPB beat
Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) 5-4 via tie-breaker in the quarter-final followed by a 4-0 rout of Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) in the semis and then a 3-0 title triumph over Comptroller & Auditor General Of (CAG).
In 2023, Walmiki led PSPB to the title in Bengaluru followed by another gold medal-winning show in 2024 at Pune.
Walmiki, 33, who has been employed with Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL) for over a decade, highlighted the growth of the team since their debut in 2017. “We [PSPB] made our debut in 2017 in the second division and emerged champions that year and were promoted to the senior division. From 2018 to 2025, in the senior division, we have always medalled [four gold, two silver, one bronze]. The current hat-trick of gold medals under my captaincy is special for me. Before that, we had won one gold medal, two silver medals, and a bronze. This hat-trick of gold medals is a very proud moment for me as well as our coaches Deepak Thakur, Devesh Chauhan [both Arjuna awardees], Harpal Singh and Sher Singh,” Walmiki said.
Walmiki feels leadership on the hockey field is akin to leading a team into battle. “I look at myself as a warrior because I go into games with the mentality of motivating everyone and keeping the team as a unit,” said Walmiki, who keeps himself busy throughout the year with international hockey assignments, where, more often than not, he ends up winning trophies.
It’s the India shirt that he still yearns for though. “The one thing I feel bad about is that after being dropped from the Indian team [in 2017], I have never been called back. If you look at my achievements since then, I’ve been winning trophies wherever I go. I’ve played club competitions in the USA, Canada, Oman, Germany, Kenya and the Netherlands and have picked up the best defender award at most tournaments. Now, the Hockey India League is starting and I’ve been retained by Hyderabad Toofans for the second season. I’m keen to prove myself yet again with the hope of an India recall,” he signed off.