Captaincy was a pleasant surprise but I am excited for the challenge, says Harmanpreet Singh
Harmanpreet Singh has said that he was not expecting to be named the captain of the Indian team for the upcoming Olympics Test tournament but he is honoured to have been handed the armband. He reminisced about what all helped him reach this stage and exclaimed his ambitions for the tournament.
With most of the senior players being rested for the Olympics Test event, Hockey India announced that a young Harmanpreet Singh will be leading the squad. The 23-year-old has risen through the ranks rapidly over the past three years and the armband will be another feather in his hat as it marks the next step in what looks like a promising future.
"When I was told that I would be leading the team, it was a pleasant surprise. It is an honour and a big responsibility. I am excited and looking forward to the challenge,” Harmanpreet Singh was reported saying by TOI.
He first came into the spotlight when he was a key member of the World Cup-winning junior team in 2016. Soon, he was playing for the senior squad and made waves in the FIH Champions Trophy that very straight year. He drove India to a historic final outing only to lose to Australia and settle with a silver medal. He was named the rising player of the tournament. He would go on to play in the Rio Olympics a few months later aged only 19.
"When I look back, I feel fortunate to have come into the Indian team at a time when there were stalwarts from whom I could learn a lot. Players like Sardar Singh and VR Raghunath had a positive impact during my nascent days in the senior team and their guidance helped me soak up the pressure of international hockey," he said.
The Olympics Test event is scheduled to start from August 17 and will be one of the team’s final matches before it participates in the Olympics qualifiers in November. India has been placed in a group with three great teams in Malaysia, Japan, and New Zealand, qualification from which will lead to a semifinal berth.
“Malaysia, Japan, and New Zealand are good teams to play against and see where we stand as a unit ahead of the Olympic Qualifiers Malaysia recently beat Germany in a match and Japan are doing well while New Zealand is coming into the event with good exposure from the FH Pro League,” Singh said of the competitors.
Though as a tournament it does not carry much weight, Singh will settle for nothing less than the top spot.
"In the absence of senior players who are rested, it is important that we step up our game. We are well-prepared. We will be playing every match with the intent to win,” he concluded.
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