Bengaluru: As the national anthem of Belgium (the gold medallists in Tokyo) played in the background, Manpreet Singh and his team-mates stood on the third place platform of the podium soaking in everything that had transpired over the past few hours.
This was when Manpreet, the then captain of the Indian men’s hockey team at the last edition of the Olympics, happened to turn towards Hardik Singh standing to his left. The mask-wearing midfield maestros caught each other smiling through the eyes in a ‘are you thinking what I’m thinking?’ moment.
“When the flag was being hoisted to our right (because of a bronze they won), me and Hardik whispered to each other that we will do everything from now on to see our flag at the centre next time,” recalled Manpreet.
And for the past three years since then, the most experienced player in the national side, wakes up each day to live up to the promise he made to himself and Hardik. The 32-year-old with his infectious champion mentality will, once again, spearhead the weight of expectations as the Harmanpreet Singh-led side lands in Paris on Saturday - six days before their opening pool game against New Zealand.
“Last time I was the captain when we finally broke the jinx to win an Olympic medal after a gap of 41 years. It was an outstanding team effort. Even though I don’t lead the team anymore, I have the same role and responsibilities as a senior member.
“I have always had a great relationship and support from my team-mates like Sreejesh, Harmanpreet. All the three of us have conversations about decision-making. We take the initiative of guiding the youngsters because we believe we can win only if we play as a team. Playing for individual glory will be difficult for the team to survive any match,” opined Manpreet.
The Jalandhar-born player’s ‘team first’ ideology is also the core value on which the midfield department is built on - making it the strongest aspect in the Indian team.
“We have a great bond going on between us midfielders. All of us understand our plus points and flaws really well which facilitates smooth coordination during a game. Our ultimate aim is to give good passes to the forwards so they can create opportunities to score goals,” explained Manpreet.
Apart from having vice-captain Hardik by his side, Manpreet will forge forces with Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh and Rajkumar Pal to form a formidable midfield unit. However, the seasoned pro is sure to miss the stick work of experienced Nilakanta Sharma, who is in the alternative list.
Another responsibility attached to Manpreet is manning the defence line during penalty corners. With Amit Rohidas at the helm of it as a first rusher, Manpreet will be the other rock supporting ‘keeper Sreejesh at the goalpost.
“Whenever you are wearing the national colours you never think of getting hurt or such. Always give your best. That’s it,” he said as his game-face takes over in an instance.
The spurt in intensity is justifiable as soon as the topic of guarding post for the country arises. After all, it is coming from an athlete with 370 international caps playing his fourth and possibly the final Olympics. Toss the question about him taking some time out to look back at everything he has achieved, the smile returns on the players’ face...
“I made my India debut as an 18-year-old kid. In my first Olympics (2012 London) it was a nightmare because we finished 12th. It was a horrible feeling for me. But the lessons from failing helped me to grow up.
“I have experienced all the highs and lows of being a sportsperson. The pinnacle of it all was when the entire country celebrated our bronze last time, it was an unbelievable feeling…,” he said as emotion took over for a brief moment before he snapped himself out of it to walk away with a smile.