Singh and Lakra were both members of the national hockey team led by Manpreet Singh that clinched at the Olympics after 41 years. Rupinder said it was time to pave the way for youngsters to play their chance at the international stage. While Lakra was the vice-captain in Tokyo.

India claiming victory over the Bronze at the 2020 Olympics (Tokyo) was an astonishing moment for the country, the occasion for which the country was waiting since 1980.

Singh (30) has played over 200 matches for India and is considered one of the best drag flickers in the world.

‘The past couple of months have undoubtedly been the best days of my life. Standing on the podium in Tokyo along with my teammates with whom I have shared some of the most incredible experiences of my life was a feeling I will cherish forever,” Singh wrote in the social media post.

“I believe it is time for me to make way for young and talented players to experience every great joy I have felt in these last 13 years of representing India,” he added.

It was 2010 at the Sultan Azlan Shah Tournament held in Ipoh, where he played his maiden international match with India clinching gold. His name was on feature continuously for many historic victories of India including the Asian Games (2014) triumph and the Asian Champions Trophy, 2016, where India won Gold. Though his name was dropped from the team briefly in 2018, he made his way back to the team and became a part of the team that triumphed in Tokyo.

Meantime, Mr Lakra has crawled his way up through the ranks of the junior team set-up to debut for the senior national team in the 2010 South Asian Games and was a part of team India’s witnessing glory in 2014 Asian Games, bronze Medal feat in the World League Final 2015 in Raipur, silver medal-winning campaign at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and FIH Men’s Series Finals Bhubaneswar Odisha 2019 among others.

In his well-established career, the two-time Olympian caught the eye in almost all the major tournaments, including the FIH Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2014 and 2018. He, however, failed to take part in the Rio Olympics 2016 due to a knee injury and made a robust fightback to the Indian setup by playing an instrumental role in the team’s gold medal-winning accomplishment at the 2016 Asian Champions Trophy.

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Although he considers himself fortunate to be called up as an alternate player because of the Covid-19 pandemic and witness the high-spirited bronze medal-winning play. It was his debut in the Tokyo Olympics. 

Drag-flicker Varun Kumar and midfielder Simranjeet Singh have made their Olympic debut after both were incorporated into the national squad following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to allow “alternate athletes” in team events due to the ongoing pandemic.

“When the squad for the Olympics was announced, my name was not part of the 16-member squad. I still remember that day very well and I was evidently disappointed,” said Varun as quoted by the Scroll.in.

“But after a few days when the IOC allowed hockey teams to expand to 18 players, Simranjeet and I were called up as alternate athletes. It came as a huge relief but somewhere at the back of my mind I was still upset about not making it to the final 16 and I really wanted to prove myself,” he continued.

Kumar further added that it was skipper Manpreet Singh who helped him to keep his morale high before the team left for Tokyo. 

“It really helped that captain Manpreet had a long chat with me and pumped me up mentally. Manpreet has been a big influence in my career from a very young age as we played in the same academy and him talking to me made a lot of difference. I stopped beating myself up for not being good enough to make the 16-member squad. I started focusing on how I can make this opportunity count and deliver when the team needs me,” said Varun.

India’s play at the Tokyo Olympics was stupendous with the men’s team able to clinch an Olympic medal, bronze, after a long wait of 41 years. 

Varun played a vital role in the record-making match of India against Argentina. He scored the first goal followed by India’s win over the opponent 3-1. He was attentive backstage and dazzled the viewers with his performance every time he was called up. 

“It was indeed a fantastic experience in Tokyo. Winning the bronze and standing on the podium along with my teammates is perhaps the best moment of my life. Now my priority will be to improve in every aspect. We have had a good break after the Olympics and we are all waiting to return to camp in October,” he concluded. 

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The recently concluded Tokyo Olympics have brought back the glory to the sport with India winning the Bronze against Belgium 4-3. But with no players from the central state in the team, the hope for Bhopal to revive the lost glory is on hold.

City stars, Inam, Syed and Sameer, represented the country at the Olympics post-independence. While Ahmad Khan was one of those players who played along with hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. 

But in the past two decades, the city has scarcely produced a handful of hockey players like Mohammed Umar, who represented India at the Junior Men’s Asia Cup, 2015 and won Gold, Affan Yousuf (Asian Champions Trophy, 2016, gold) and goalkeeper Khushboo Khan, playing for junior women’s team. 

Once known for producing great players, Aishbagh, the oldest and the only Hockey Stadium in the city, has been waiting for revival for so long now. The work, however, has been a bone of contention between the Sports Department and the Municipal Corporation and hence is in abeyance.

“Inspired by India’s recent advancement at the Tokyo Olympics, many children have started practising at the Aishbagh Stadium, which is located in the centre of the city and is free of cost,” said Dad, who’s recently made the coach of Madhya Pradesh hockey team, as quoted by The Quint.

The fondness on display by the famed player and the inclination of the teenagers towards the sport depicts that Bhopal is trying hard to revive the legacy. But renaissance won’t be easy for the city, yet, Dad is all devoted to doing whatever he can. 

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Vivek was part of the national team that claimed Bronze at the recently concluded Tokyo Olympics. To him, this is a dreamlike moment as he has already been honoured with the award in the 2019-2020 season.

“I never imagined this would happen again. It is a surreal feeling to have been nominated for the second time in the same category (FIH Rising Star of the Year Award),” expressed Vivek graciously.

“I got to know this late in the night when I saw texts from my friends congratulating me. To be honest, it’s really overwhelming,” he continued, as quoted by The Hindu. 

The Indian Hockey body prepared the shortlist of all the divisions of FIH Awards 2020-21.

“It’s the result of teamwork and the support of senior players,” said the 21-year old while expressing gratitude to his seniors. 

“Since my debut, the seniors have been the biggest source of motivation. They have helped me play my natural game without any fear or pressure. That is the biggest reason why I could win the 2019 FIH Rising Star of the Year Award and also stand a chance to receive the honour for the second time,” he added further. 

He also pops off his feelings of winning the Bronze against Germany at the quadrennial games. “I still can’t believe I was part of the Olympic medal-winning team,” he voiced.

“It’s a dream of every athlete and I am really blessed to be able to live this dream at the age of 21.”

Asserting about the efforts put down by the team to execute an exemplary play in the next game, Vivek said, “…this is just the beginning and there’s still a lot of room for improvement. We have raised the bar and we have to do even better. There will be more challenges ahead and we need to be fully prepared for whatever comes our way.”

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The recent performance of the national teams in the Tokyo Olympics was remarkable and every countryman was praising the Manpreet and Rani led teams for their outstanding conduct at the Oi Hockey Stadium, Tokyo. Thanks to the Patnaik government for seeing the potential and came to savour the sport which has a glorious history. 

India has won eight golds in Hockey since their maiden play in 1928, Netherlands Olympics. The last Gold match was in Moscow, 1980, Summer Olympics. Since then India was waiting for a medal at the most celebrated sport. This year, the men’s team claimed the Bronze at the Olympics by defeating Germany 5-4, while the women played their maiden semi-finals and stood at fourth. A marvellous play by both the teams on the world stage. 

Just when Mr Patnaik was lauding the men’s and women’s teams after the grand show at the Olympics, he announced, “We, in Odisha, are elated that our partnership with Hockey India has led to this great achievement for the country. I believe Odisha and hockey are destined to become synonymous. We will continue our partnership with Hockey India. Odisha will support the Indian hockey teams for 10 more years.”

Although the exact amount of sponsorship is yet to be disclosed. In 2018, the littoral state had signed a ₹100 crore deal with Hockey India for financing the men’s and women’s teams for 5 years after Sahara India withdrew, subsequently getting entangled in legal issues.

Mr Patnaik, who has honoured each player with ₹10 Lakh and ₹5 lakh each to the support staff, articulated that each team player has made the country proud with their blazing battle at Tokyo Olympics. 

“These are deeply emotional moments for India to witness the revival of Indian hockey. For nearly four decades, hockey fans have been yearning to see India grab a medal at the Olympics. The way the entire country was glued to the screens to watch the hockey teams’ matches, it is quite evident there is something more to hockey than just sports. In these crisis times, the teams have brought smiles to the faces of crores of Indians. We all should be thankful to our boys and girls,” he said, as quoted by the Hindustan Times. To that, showing their gratitude to him each team gifted him a framed jersey autographed by the players.

Patnaik also honoured the ‘player with the maximum number of goals scored’ award to Harmanpreet Singh while PR Sreejesh won the award for the player with the maximum number of goals saved. Nilakanta Sharma won the award for the maximum number of goal assists, Rupinder Pal Singh won the award for the player with the maximum number of defensive tackles and Harmanpreet Singh and Amit Rohidas were complimented with awards for maximum interceptions in the midfield.

In the women’s team, Gurjit Kaur and Vandana Katariya won the award for the maximum number of goals scored. Savita Punia won the award for the maximum number of goals saved. Rani Rampal and Navneet Kaur jointly won the award for the maximum number of goal assists. Deep Grace Ekka won for the maximum number of defensive tackles and P Sushila Chanu was awarded for maximum interceptions in the midfield.

“The team and I are very happy to be present here today as we wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the Odisha government for supporting our team. Our team is always made to feel so welcome when we come here… Odisha feels very much like the home of Indian hockey now,” said Rani, captain of the national women’s hockey team.

On the other hand, the captain of the men’s team, Manpreet Singh, who was delighted to be back in Odisha, said, “This bronze medal may have been won by us as players, but in reality, it equally belongs to India.” He also praised the Odisha CM for providing support to the hockey teams.

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The first goal was scored by Simranjeet Singh. Following him, Rupinder Pal Singh scored a penalty stroke.

The national team is 3 point behind Australia, which claimed triumph in all matches and is in the first position.

For team India winning this match was very important. The team has played three matches so far, against New Zealand, Australia and Spain.

The national team defeated Spain by 3-0 in their third Group A game being played at Oi Hockey Stadium on Tuesday.

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The current team has only five players from Rio Olympics, with Manpreet Singh Sandhu, P.R. Sreejesh, Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh and Surender Kumar. P.R. Sreejesh and captain Manpreet Singh will be playing their third Olympics.

The inclusion of Birendra Lakra, who missed Rio Olympics due to knee injury, and exclusion of certain players took everyone by surprise.

Although Hockey India stated that the team was fuelled with a fresh approach-based intense training and preparation at the ongoing preparatory camp, the omission of senior players like Varun Kumar, reflects the fresh legs approach formula, especially in the attacker section.

“It has been an easy process to make the final selection as there is a lot of quality and ambition in this group of players. The performance levels of all the athletes are at an optimum level and more importantly they work well together,” said coach Graham Reid.

India, along with Olympic winner Argentina, Australia, New Zealand, Spain and host Japan, is clustered in Pool A for the event.

The post The new avatar of men’s team for Tokyo first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Until now he has played 52 matches and claimed 14 goals for team India. Walmiki, who idolises former India captain Dhanraj Pillay, played in the German Hockey league for eight years, anticipates a medal to team India if Tokyo Olympics are held as scheduled.

He was also a prime member of the World Cup in 2014, which took place in the Netherlands.

It was in the latest episode of ‘Sportstiger Talks’, where he not only shared about the gut feeling of team India winning a medal in the upcoming Olympics but hardships he had faced so far to reach the place he is today, his desire to participate in the entertainment industry and much more.

“Team India is preparing really well under the leadership of Shreejesh and Manpreet Singh,” observed Walmiki.

Proceeding with the talk he added, “I still have this gut feeling… In case, Tokyo Olympics takes place, the Indian hockey team will bag a medal this time. I have this strong belief in my heart.”

It is to be recalled that the Indian Hockey team has bagged a maximum of eight golds in the Olympics, the highest so far by any country. The last boast was in Moscow Olympics, 1980, defeating Spain by 4-3 in the final.

“I don’t have any competitors, I keep competing with myself to become a better human and work hard every day. In the end, it worked out well for me and to wear the tricolour badge on our chest is probably the biggest motivation for every sportsman,” he shared while recalling those struggling days when he stayed in a 10*10 room in Mumbai with no electricity or availability of any other resources, it was his passion which kept him going on and on.      

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Manpreet Singh will lead the team as a captain and Birendra Lakra as a vice-captain. As it is the very first FIH tournament for Coach Graham Reid as chief, so he seems quite excited and looking forward to this series as a quite important step in the Olympic qualification process.

He added that our goal is to give the consistent performance in every match of the series that we play along with respecting all the opposing teams, turning out to be the best team. Also, the previous international matches with the great teams have given us many things to learn, and we’ll surely implement those in these matches.

Following are the details of the team:

Goalkeepers – PR Sreejesh and Krishan B Pathak

Defenders – Harmanpreet Singh, Birendra Lakra (Vice Captain), Surender Kumar, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Gurinder Singh

Midfielders – Manpreet Singh (Captain), Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma

Forwards – Mandeep Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Gursahibjit Singh, Simranjit Singh

All the very best team, India. We are looking forward to a fantabulous performance in the series.

Keep watching this space for the updates of the match.

The post 18-Member Squad is All Set For The FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar Odisha first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.

Below are the highlights of the match:

Quarter 1 – In the first quarter, the Australia team without wasting time made a circle entry and gave a great shot but saved by Indian goalkeeper Krishan Pathak. In the next minutes, another great shot by Australia team and finally a goal in the 3rd minute with a score IND 0-1 AUS. Another great shot by team India at the goal but missed. Team Australia played aggressive and giving back to back shots but team India showed defensive skills to avoid further loss. PC was awarded to India but missed to score a goal. Next PC to Australia, but India kept on saving all the shots at the goal. Australia got possession and scored another goal. In the next minutes another great shot by Niakanta Sharma and finally a first goal of the match in the 12th minute making the score IND 1-2 AUS at the end of the first quarter.

Quarter 2 – In the second quarter, Australia team started with a great shot but no further loss. India got the free hit but missed the shot. Mandeep Singh showed great skills but the shot goes the wrong way. India team got possession in the next minutes by no goal recorded. India got a free hit again but missed. Another great shot by Trent Mitton of team Australia followed by a PC and another goal by Blake Govers making the score IND 1-4 AUS at the end of the first half.

Quarter 3 – In the third quarter, team India ruled the ball in initial minutes, but missed the shot at the goal. Multiple free hits to team India and multiple entries to circle, but all saved. Tim Brand of team Australia scored a goal in the 43rd minute making the score IND 1-5 AUS at the end of the third quarter.

Quarter 4 – Team India seemed aggressive to score goals in the last quarter and left no stone unturned to give great shots. A PC was awarded to India and finally the second goal by Rupinder Pal in the last minutes of the match thereby making the score IND 2-5 AUS. Team India played well but lost the second match of the series.

And finally, the Australian tour ended with 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats for Team India.

Keep watching this space for further updates.

The post Men’s Team India Faced a Second Defeat in the Australia Five Day Hockey Match Series first appeared on The History Book of Indian Hockey.