KUALA LUMPUR: Pavandip Singh is involved in a friendly tug-a-war with the national senior and junior hockey teams, and he has one month to prove himself.
The 20-year-old six-footer had impressed senior coach Arul Selvaraj, as well as junior coach Wallace Tan, at the recent Razak Cup.
He is among the 38 trainees who will report for centralised training with the senior team on Monday.
And after a month, the team will be trimmed to 25 players, and that is where Pavan wants to be.
Wallace also wants him if he keeps his momentum the next 30 days.
"I want to be among the 25 trainees when the final selection is made, so I will give my best to secure the spot. This is a dream chance, and I will fight hard for it," said Pavandip, who is studying engineering at UCSI Cheras Campus.
Pavandip was spotted when he was 16 years old. He was part of the 2020 Junior World Cup training squad but exited halfway. He is now back stronger.
Pavandip is one of six national juniors players included in Arul's training squad.
After naming his 26, Wallace Tan said: "I also have six more players who will train with the seniors, and the understanding with coach Arul is that if the players impress they will play for both teams.
"And Pavandip is one of the six," said Wallace.
It is a chance of a lifetime as Pavandip kept on playing to improve in the Junior Hockey League and the Italian League last year when he made his exit.
"I have been keeping myself busy in studies, as well as the JHL and the Italian League. "Playing for Kuala Lumpur in the Razak Cup has also helped my game, and I believe I am ready to make a comeback," said Pavandip.
And if he makes it past the one-month deadline with the seniors, he will surely be selected to train for the Junior Asia Cup (JAC), which is in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Jan 21-30.
The JAC is a Junior World Cup Qualifier, and if Malaysia break into the semi-finals, they will play in India at the end of the year.
While Pavandip is just making inroads into the national team, his 17-year-old sister Kirandeep Kaur is a regular for the women's national team. She featured in the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
"My sister has already established herself, and I would like to follow her footsteps," Pavandip added.
He had impressed Arul during the Razak Cup and is just four weeks shy from chasing his dream.