Harmanpreet Singh admits that he enjoys the added responsibility of being the vice captain of the Indian team

Indian vice-captain and star drag-flicker, Harmanpreet Singh has been a central figure of the success achieved by the Men in Blue in recent times. His exceptional performances played a great part in India’s historic Bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics last summer. He also earned the title of FIH Men’s Player of the Year 2021.

Harmanpreet Singh appeared on the Hockey India podcast Hockey Te Charcha and revealed India’s journey to the Bronze medal in Tokyo. He also spoke about his personal growth in recent years.

Speaking on India’s long-awaited history of winning the Olympic Bronze Meda at the Tokyo Games, the 26-year-old said, “Our team spent a lot of time together in lockdown last year before the Olympics. It was a difficult situation because we were not able to visit home in the initial months of lockdown, but facing that period of difficulty together prepared us for the challenges of the Olympics last year. Even after trailing 3–1 against a team like Germany in the Bronze medal match, it was our collective mindset in difficult situations which got us over the line eventually.”

Harmanpreet made his debut in 2015 and since then he has only grown from strength to strength. He recently grew in stature as a vice-captain for the Indian team. He shared how he never felt any added pressure due to the presence of senior players. “I really enjoy this additional responsibility of being Vice-Captain. It has never felt like an added pressure because everyone in the team is able to communicate openly with each other. Of course, Manpreet and other senior players like Sree bhai (PR Sreejesh) also take responsibility to guide the team in training and match situations, so it is a collective effort on the part of the whole team to grow together,” Harmanpreet added.

Harmanpreet has developed into one of the best drag flickers in the world. He has helped India score goals from penalty corners. The Punjab based player shared how he learned from his initial days at Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar and later learned from senior players like Rupinder Pal Singh and Sardara Singh at the national team setup.

“I was training in Ludhiana at the time when my Coaches identified me as a potential drag-flicker, but it was in the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar that I received proper training for the first time ever in taking penalty corners. I used to spend a lot of time individually before and after team practice hours to improve my drag flicks, and also had the right kind of guidance from senior players in the academy. Then after I came into the national team, I saw players like Sardara Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh work on their game. Learning from them helped me improve my skills even further,” Harmanpreet Singh signed off.