Shello hopes to shine with juniors after seniors’ gig

PETALING JAYA: Hockey player Shello Silverious has been likened to a Duracell Bunny for his energetic performance in the International Test Series against Japan and Great Britain from April 17-22.

The name given by coach A. Arulselvaraj did not come as a surprise as the 21-year-old midfielder was one of the hardest working player on the field.

Malaysia lost all the matches but Shello has promised to keep up with his work rate.

The Sabahan, who had only competed in the Razak Cup and Malaysia Hockey League before the friendlies, says he does extra physical activities to keep himself fit – especially in times when competitions have been scarce.

“We have not had much games. So to compensate for that, I work hard to maintain my fitness. I follow a strict diet too,” said Shello, who also follows the progress of teams in the FIH Pro League.

“I do a lot of cardio work like running on the treadmill at home, which has really helped with my game fitness.

“I’m not a big-sized player, so I know that I have to rely on my endurance to succeed in the game.”

Now part of the national junior squad preparing for the Junior Asia Cup in Bangladesh in July, Shello wants to reap the benefits from playing with the senior team.

“It’s great that I got the chance to play with the seniors against Japan and Great Britain. It was a good experience,” said Shello, who has been with the junior team since 2017

“We were defeated, but I learnt a lot from these games, and I want to bring that experience to the junior team.

Shello gained prominence when as the captain, he led Malaysia to a third-place finish in the six-nation Under-21 Sultan of Johor Cup in 2019. He also helped Malaysia win gold in indoor hockey at the Philippines SEA Games two years ago.