‘Main aim is to win the Asian Games Gold Medal’ – says Indian Men’s Hockey team midfielder Nilakanta Sharma

Hockey changed the life of one of the Indian men’s hockey team’s stalwarts, Nilakanta Sharma. Once he was probably the only guy from Manipur in the national camp to being the only player from the same state to win the Olympic Bronze in the Indian men’s team. Nilakanta believes that hockey has changed his life for good.

All started in 2014 when he joined the Junior Indian team and won the Sultan of Johor Cup. Then he was also in the Junior Indian team that became the World Champions in 2016. He impressed everyone with his exceptional skills and silky dribbles from midfield.

Courtesy of his performances for the Junior Indian team he was given senior team call up in 2017. Since then the midfielder has not looked back much and has cemented his place in the Indian team alongside captain Manpreet Singh in midfield.

“I have been quite fortunate in my career so far and I will continue to work hard, and execute my role in the team as expected of me. Most of us in the team believe the Olympic medal was just the beginning. We have set certain targets in this Olympic cycle and we are focused on achieving those targets,” Nilakanata Sharma stated.

The 26-year-old reminisced about his humble beginning as he highlighted how his father was a priest and how players like Kothajit Singh and Chinglensana Singh motivated him to pick up hockey and represent India at the global stage.

“I am from a humble family background. My father made a living as a priest in the temple near my home,” Nilakanta reminisced. “I picked up the hockey stick with a hope to represent India. I looked up to players like Chinglensana Singh and Kothajit Singh who were also from my state. I knew doing well will not only bring great recognition but would also help me improve the living conditions of my family.”

He became the only player Manipur in the Indian Men’s hockey that won the Olympic Bronze in Tokyo last year. He revealed how his family supported him during his initial days and now he is returning the favour to them with a better lifestyle and respect from the people of Manipur.

Speaking on future plans, Nilakanta believes that the eyes are set on the Gold Medal at the Asian Cup in China followed by their best efforts in the FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 at home in January. But he believes that securing the Olympics qualification will motivate their morale ahead of the 2023 World Cup so he mentioned the Asian Cup gold medal as the primary target.

“Definitely the biggest tournament for us this year is the Asian Games and we have set our target of securing Olympic qualification. At the Asian Champions Trophy, we got to see how other teams from the continent are performing and definitely we can’t take anyone lightly,” the 26-year-old midfielder explained.

While there is still some time for the Asian Games, Nilakanta and the other boys will look to focus on the FIh Hockey Pro League matches as they will provide the Men in Blues with the proper preparation for the big events to come in future.