FIH Hockey Men’s Hockey World Cup | Sardar Singh confident of India's solid show at biggest tournament

While the Indian team carries out their preparations to end the medal drought in the prestigious event, it's time for hockey fans to relive the memories from India's historic World Cup campaigns through Hockey India's Flashback Series - World Cup Special.      

Turning back the clock, Singh said, “For almost every player, playing at the World Cup is a matter of excitement, and I was very lucky that my first World Cup was in India. Playing good hockey in front of our own fans was a great feeling. We played Pakistan in our first game, and I remember the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium was completely packed. And as soon as we lined up, the crowd went berserk, and it immediately lifted us, giving us a boost in confidence.”  

A former captain, who led by example, Sardar Singh led the Indian Men’s Hockey Team at the 2014 World Cup which was played at The Hague in the Netherlands. According to the former captain, the team at that time was a very close-knit unit, winning medals at the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games.  

Talking about developing that winning habit, Singh said, “The team has to practice hard and for long periods. Look at all the big teams around the world, they’ve been playing together for a while. To win a medal, there has to be attention to detail, and the team must work together and help each other out at all times.”  

When asked about leading the team in a major tournament, Singh said, “I never thought of it like that. Yes, as a senior player, there are certain things that I had to do and look after the team as well, especially the younger players. But for me, all the players in the team count as captains. The thought was always that everyone must communicate clearly through the ranks.”  

The former captain has played alongside quite a few of the players in the current Indian Men’s Hockey Team, and believes that the team is very talented.  

Looking ahead to the all-important FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023 in January, the former captain had a word of advice for the team.  

“Once the players take the field at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneswar-Rourkela 2023, what the player has done previously doesn’t matter, they have to work hard from the first whistle to the final hooter, and consistently in every play. Extra effort and focus will be key to the performance, as well as executing the plans correctly. If they can do that, then the results will automatically follow us.”