India tennis ace Leander Paes paid a flying visit to the City of Temples here yesterday because of his sheer love for hockey. The seven-time Olympian was invited as Guest of Honour by Hockey India for the Netherlands v Germany World Cup league match at the Kalinga Stadium, for which he flew into the city last afternoon and returned to Mumbai the same evening.

Leander's father Vece Paes is a 1972 Munich Olympian, so his association with hockey goes back a long way. He played the game too. "I've led my school team [La Martiniere, Kolkata] where I played centre-half. Hockey is such a beautiful game, so much stickwork and skill," he tells mid-day and immediately jumps up from his seat in the VVIP arena as the Netherlands take a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute through Valentine Verga.