Anjaparavanda Subbaiah has represented India for the past 12 years in various tournaments. He was cruelly sacked from the Indian team from the World Cup due to backroom politics (he reportedly asked for the match fees due to the players, which did not go well with the IHF satraps). Subbaiah was reinstated for the Commonwealth Games, where his performance was average.
Subbaiah's best games were in the 1994 Sydney World Cup, where he made some breathtaking saves against Argentina to enable India to finish in the top six in the world. Then in the 1995 Azlan Shah tournament in Kuala Lumpur, he effected saves in the tie-breaker against Germany which enabled India to finish as champions.
Subbaiah's best coach he played under - Cedric D'Souza. "He was one coach who never let problems reach the players."
Photo Courtesy : Inside Hockey Magazine