Pushkar (Rajasthan), Nov 07: His trademark reverse flick has given India many memorable victories in the recent past and also won him numerous followers in the hockey world. But star forward Gagan Ajit Singh confesses that luck has played an important role in his tremendous success with the "most unpredictable shot".

"No matter how much one practices the shot during training, no one can confidently say that he can score at will from a reverse flick."

"It is the most unpredictable shot in hockey. Neither the person hitting it nor the opponent goalkeeper can predict as to where the ball will end up," Gagan Ajit, who has scored some great goals from reverse flick in recent tournaments, said.

Pointing out that his regular practice of reverse flick during training gives him the much needed confidence to employ the shot in the matches, the forward said the outcome of the shot depends on how well you connect which is again more a matter of chance considering the shape of the hockey stick. The Punjab Police Officer, who was here to attend the Pushkar Mela on the invitation of the Rajasthan government, said the recent success of the Indian team was largely due to the fact that the team was "together" and hated losing.

"We have 14 players from the same team which won the junior world cup in 2000. This has helped a lot as the players understand each other very well and the senior players spend a lot of time with the juniors," he said, adding the strong bench strength has also contributed to the success. Bureau Report