The hockey stick is their family heirloom. And playing the sport is like continuing a decades-long tradition. Mohammad Raheel, 27, the latest skilled sensation from India’s national hockey team, was only five years old when he stepped on the gravel-based surface of the HAL ground in Bangalore. Yet, it felt like the most natural thing for him to do. After all, playing hockey is what every male member of his family has done since the 1950s. It started in the early post-independence years when his grandfather, Mohammad Amiruddin, began playing hockey for the postal department team. Raheel’s father, Mohammad Naseeruddin, then took over the baton, flourishing in the domestic circuit while playing for Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). Naseeruddin’s two brothers also followed in their father’s footsteps – Mohammad Jani Moeddin making a name for himself in Bombay, playing for the Tatas. His elder sibling, Nazeeruddin, spent years playing in the circuit in Bangalore. Raheel’s brother, Nayeemuddin, carried forward the legacy and made it to India’s junior team. But none of them reached as far as …