Graham Reid heaps praises on Shamsher Singh and Ashis Topno

Graham Reid heaps praises on Shamsher Singh and Ashis Topno

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Hockey India

India hockey team coach Graham Reid was all praise about Shamsher Singh and Ashis Topno, the duo who has been selected in the India squad for the Olympic Test Event in Tokyo. The players also shed light on the hard work that they put it before their dream was realized and on the biggest stage.

22-year-old Singh has been on the fringes for long now and has been impressing the management and was a part as standby for Indian side that lifted the Junior World Cup. And his hard work has finally been rewarded as he has been named in the senior team, something he did not imagine would happen.

However, Reid has reportedly seen qualities in the player and even compared his attributes to those of the Australians. “Shamsher is a versatile player, capable of playing up front or in midfield. He's strong on the ball, he's fast, and he's very smart," says Reid. "He understands what we are trying to do with the press. He's flexible, can play in the forward-line and also in midfield. So he ticks off a lot of boxes that I look for in players," said Reid, reported Sportstar.

Coming from the border town of Attari, Singh couldn’t contain his excitement, more so for he leapfrogged numerous seniors to this spot. "They (family) thought it was a joke because there are so many senior players in the team. They didn't believe me. They are very excited now. I never thought I would reach this level," he says. "But over the last two years, I've been working very hard. It's been a dream of mine to represent the nation and I'm very proud. I just can't wait for my debut," said he.

Apart from Shamsher, would also be debuting is Odisha midfielder Topno, who has wooed Reid with his dribbling and ball control skills. The coach revealed that he has to work on the midfielder but admitted that he has a lot of potential.

"His skills on the ball are beautiful to watch. We've been improving his tackling. He hasn't had too much experience at this level, so it's been about trying to get him to this level in terms of tactics and strategy. He can turn on a dime but he's also open to understanding the way we want him to play," Reid explained.

21-year-old Topno was always talented that saw him getting inducted into the government-run sports hostels in Panposh and Bhubaneshwar. And he also sounded excited to be part of the team where his idols once represented.

"As a kid I dreamt of becoming like Dilip Tirkey, Prabodh Tirkey, Ignace Tirkey and Lazarus Barla one day. They were my inspiration. It feels nice to be playing in the senior team now."

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