Boys to men

You could call them Tango and Cash. But unlike the famous Sylvester Stallone-Kurt Russell movie, they are not cops framed for murder. But similar to the two in the movie, they depend on each other. On the field, that is.
Meet 24-year-old Viren Rasquinha, a veteran of 108 internationals and 18-year-old Adrian D''Souza, the latest teen sensation in the Indian hockey squad.Another similarity, they both hail from Mumbai.
"Viren and I have bonded very well," says Adrian, whose star has been on the ascendant ever since he walked in to guard the Indian citadel in the very first match at the Athens Olympics.
"We are great mates. It''s good fun to be around him," says Viren. Ever since the Olympics, Adrian has been hogging the limelight with his gutsy, innovative play under the bar.
The icing on the cake has been the ''Man Of The Series'' award he received in the recently-concluded eightmatch series against Pakistan.
"That feels just great," says Adrian of the award. "There were others like Viren, Dileep Tirkey, Sohail Abbas... I''m really happy to receive it," adds the goalkeeper.
Both are all praise for the Pakistan crowd and the hospitality they received there.
"They were excellent hosts," says Viren. "Sohail Abbas says that there will be a crowd of at least 40,000 plus when India and Pakistan play there in the Champions Trophy in December."
Both are glad that Mumbai is finally going back to the glory days of old. "I''m really happy that our boys are doing well," says Viren.
"It''s a good thing for the juniors too. They have something to look up to," butts in Adrian, whose thousand watt grin lights up the room.
With their dapper looks and excellent reading of the game, the two could just be the stars Indian hockey is looking for.
Tango and Cash? Well, the two guys are certainly in for the kill!