HARMANPREET SINGH
Adefender and a talismanic drag flicker — Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh straddles the worlds of offense and defence with considerable ease. The 27-year-old led from the front in the team’s gold-medal-winning Asian Games campaign, scoring 13 goals. He scored the same number in the
Asian Champions Trophy earlier in the year, where India topped the podium. In the 2022–23 FIH Pro League, he leads the goal tally, having netted 18 goals.
National pool players featured in the Hockey India Men’s Senior Nationals after five years, and Harmanpreet led Punjab to a thrilling win in the tournament, beating Haryana, the defending champion, in a summit clash that went into penalties. He was adjudged Player of the Tournament with nine goals in five games.
Sportstar hosted the Indian skipper at The Hindu’s Chennai headquarters for a Hangout about his leadership, life on and off the field and the biggest note on the Indian hockey vision board — a podium finish at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
You are playing the Hockey Senior Nationals and it's the first time in many years that senior players are featuring in the tournament. Tell us about your experience.
Amazing, because we’ve got this chance after a very long time. All credit goes to Hockey India and our coach (Craig Fulton), who encouraged us to play. After the Asian Games, we had quite a long break. We had a camp scheduled for this time, but the brass believed that this (Senior Nationals) was a better option. When we’re playing at the domestic level, it would benefit those we play with and against and would prove to be a new experience for us. It’s going well, and we’re having fun. You spoke of getting some time after the Asian Games campaign. How did you all celebrate that experience, and that medal?
After the Olympics, this was our first major achievement. Definitely, our families and the people of our state were there to welcome us at the airport when we landed. It was such a proud moment for us all. When you go abroad and win a medal for India and come, we naturally feel good considering the hard work that has gone into it. And the people who watch us, support us, and expect us to do well, when they come and meet us, it feels very good. Along with that, you also recognise that your responsibility is increasing. That also motivates you and makes you see that you're achieving something,
The learning process should continue throughout your life
that there are people who stand by you when you're doing well, and that there are people watching the sport. It then becomes our duty to do our best wherever we go.
Let’s revisit your roots. You have quite a sweet story. You would get on top of a tractor and attempt to drive it as a child.
My father is a farmer. When I wasn’t playing hockey, I was with my father, working with him. I would then go to school. It was a life of struggle, but it was good too. There was no sportsperson in my family before me. In school, many sports were played with interest. So, my journey was without a plan. I just had an interest in sports. I used to play volleyball, do 100-metre running, play football and basketball — everything but hockey. During one of my semester breaks, the coaches there asked me to pick a sport I would be interested in playing. I brushed shoulders with the hockey coach there, and he asked me, “Why don't you try hockey?” My journey with this sport started there.
In your formative years, who would you credit in the process of making you the Harmanpreet you are today? You have come through Surjit Academy as well...
I started out at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) in Ludhiana. I was there for three years. In class 10, I was selected by Surjit Academy. This place has produced many good players. So when they would come to practise, we would watch them and get motivated. It was a big boost to have senior players and those representing India come and play alongside us. That’s where my journey in the sport really took shape. I have to thank my coach there, Avtaar Singh, who made us put in a lot of hard work. Our batch and our journey in hockey have endured, and many of us from that batch are still playing together.
If we look at your skill set, you’re a gifted defender. But you are adept at drag flicks too. When you got into hockey, how did you develop these two skills, especially while starting out?
If I look at my journey starting out, it was not that great. When I got to Surjit Academy, the Hockey India League was on, where most games would happen under lights. At the time, we had no experience playing under lights. When these players got done with their games, they would leave, and we would scurry to get as much time under the lights as possible. We would grab whoever’s [hockey] stick we could find and go for it. That was our journey.
Craig Fulton, in an interview recently, said that every person in the national team, no matter the position, should know how to defend, to block chances and to close spaces. These are naturally part of your skillset. How is that working out for the team?
Early on, our roles were pretty much set in stone — a defender would defend. But today’s hockey demands different things. Our defence line starts from the front, through the midfield, and then through to the goalkeeper. So defence is important. We need to set up quickly and figure out positions on the go. We need to remember our structures and then adapt to them during the game. Off-the-ball roles are there for everyone, and it’s something this unit is working on diligently.
I want to take you back to the World Cup at the start of the year.
It was a low because of India’s disappointing ninth place finish. From there to the gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games — we’ve seen how the team has shaped up. How has this ride been for you as a captain?
To be honest, it was the first tournament where my performance as a drag flicker was abysmal. In the field, I know I did my best, but it was a very poor tournament for me personally. It was a huge lesson for me. Such situations come up very often in a player’s life, but you need to be clear about where you’re headed and what your target is. If you sit and stew over it, it gets very hard to get over it and move ahead. All credit goes to my team. We are always together, share things with each other, lift each other up, and support each other. A big positive for me was that there was not one negative comment that I heard during that time. Beyond that phase, we’ve had a good run as a team. Whether it’s the FIH Pro League, the Asian Champions Trophy, or even the Asian Games, the team has shown remarkable improvement. Our coach is very experienced; he was with the Belgium side before, which is one of the best teams in the world. He’s been sharing his wisdom with us. He used whatever time he got before the Asian Games to work on us as a unit, and we took in all his fresh strategies and planning and figured our way around it all together. So the journey has been really good.
Our coach is very experienced — he was with the Belgium side before, which is one of the best teams in the world. He’s been sharing his wisdom with us. He used whatever time he got before the Asian Games to work on us as a unit.
You’ve had assistance from someone like Paddy Upton who has held a few conditioning camps with the team. Tell us a little about that. In terms of mental health, how has the Indian side's approach evolved over the last few years?
It has definitely changed. We’ve learned a lot in the sessions we’ve had. We sit together and share with our teammates whatever is on our minds. It could be match-related, about our families, or something personal, but we sit and talk about it, and that has helped strengthen the bonding in this team so much. Upton shared his experiences working towards the Cricket World Cup and what he observed in his nine- to 10-month stint with the Indian side. He carried a lot of lessons from there into his work with us.
For example, ahead of the Asian Games, he asked us to visualise what our reactions would be like if we managed to win gold at the Asian Games. In case things get difficult in the semifinals, what should our mindset be? So we were mentally prepared for any consequence. A big example is the Asian Champions Trophy. Anything could happen. We could be leading, or we might trail. At that time, our priority is to stay calm and focus on the roles assigned to us. So we were ready. The result is there for everyone to see. We were behind on goals, mounted a comeback, and eventually won the match.
When we talk about Craig Fulton, he is someone who is constantly observing other systems and sports. He spoke of seeing what Gary Kirsten did with the Indian side in 2011 among others. Are you the same way as captain? Do you also look at what captains around the world are doing?
Absolutely. We have a lot of team meetings and we analyse every opponent down to the last player. As a defender, I have to know what the forward line of an opposition looks like. Same thing with the penalty corner attack or the defence. I try to see the positives and negatives of their goalkeeper. The more we know, the more we will benefit.
Since you are here for the Senior Nationals, we also wanted to invite Karthi Selvam. He had said that you are an inspiration for him. You yourself are only 27 years. How do you feel when players say they have grown up watching you play hockey?
It feels really good. It's a responsibility. When a youngster comes, learns the game, and becomes mature, he continues that tradition. When you get to hear from others that they are watching you and analysing you, it stays in your mind. Whenever you step on the pitch and your every move is being watched carefully by someone, you make sure that you do your job well so that those who are watching and learning from you are in a better place. Whenever I enter the field, I try to give my best. Ups and downs are a part of the game, but I try to inspire players through my game. I also try to meet and talk to the players as much as possible.
Despite the legacy we have as a nation, 10 years back, India was not exactly a team to beat, slipping under the radar at major events. Now it is among the top contenders in the world. How do
you view this evolution?
This is very important. As you mentioned, a decade ago, the scores were pretty one-sided. I’m sorry to say this, but it is true. It’s just that when you have been given some of the best facilities and every need of yours is being taken care of, your only responsibility is to play good hockey. Whenever we are in a training camp, we work hard. We spend more time in training camps than in our homes, and we stay away from our families. It reminds us that we have a responsibility to work hard and build a good team. If I talk about today’s situation, I feel we have beaten almost every team, and that too multiple times. That is something that motivates us and boosts the team's confidence.
Asian Games done. Next assignment is the Paris Olympics. In the team, what’s the conversation like with regards to preparation?
It has been the longest break for us. Usually, we get a week or two off to go home. From Nationals, we head to a 10-day training camp before our Spain tour. We don’t have much time, but it's a good thing that we are playing matches and practising. Everyone is now representing their states, playing against each other, and staying fit. Since there are good teams coming to Spain, we will try to maintain the level we have shown on the international stage during the 10-day camp.
Selectors come to tournaments for two or three days, then there is the coach who has his own input. I want to know how involved are you in the selection of the team? Ahead of a tournament, the coach discusses with me who has been good and who is improving and then he shares those inputs with the officials.
You have been playing hockey for over a decade in the senior age group in the Indian setup, so now how do you motivate yourself?
I never stop learning; I always try to learn new things, even in hockey. For me, learning is always constant because, no matter how big or successful you become, the learning process should continue throughout your life. So my mindset is to constantly improve how I manage my mindset, health, fitness, and life off the field.
Hockey is one such game in which there are a lot of rules changing all the time. Whenever we watch it we always find new rules that have been made or changed. So do you know about the new rules beforehand?
As such, whenever a new rule comes, we only get to know it when it’s announced that something has changed, so accordingly, we practise in our training. For example, when we talk about self-start, when it came into play, hockey became very fast-paced because of it. So you have to practise that mindset that anyone can self-start and attack instantly, and you have to be five metres away from the ball. So these small changes happen, but can be managed easily. There’s always winning and losing in sports but after losing crunch matches, the heartbreak that comes with it — how important is it to deal with those and how do you deal with it?
Let’s talk about the Olympics and Australia’s case itself. During the league matches, the scores were not that good. So during the meetings we had with the coach and players, we spoke about that. If something has happened, then you have to forget about it. If you keep thinking about it, it will happen again in the next match because it will be on your mind and you won’t be able to focus. So we talk about forgetting what has happened, but remembering what you have learned from it. So that is how we handle it as a team. We have a staff that analyses and tells us we are better than this. So we bring that confidence back up that we have played against them and done good things as well. Because even if we lose, there are things that we have done well in the match.
Improvement is always there, whether you win or lose.
What do you think about the sponsorship money and commercials of broadcast rights in hockey? Do you think it’s improving? Are you happy with the pace at which money is now coming into hockey or do you still feel we are way behind the rest?
It is improving, actually. Hockey India has Dilip Tirkey and Bholanath Singh. The grassroots level and the next generation, the youngsters, are very important. If your base is good, then you can get key players, and they are working on it right now. The junior levels have started, and the units like Punjab Hockey are giving cash prizes. Recently, there was a camp in Odisha for sub-juniors, an Indian team for both boys and girls, and they have even gone on a Netherlands tour, so there is progress there as well. The basics will be strong then, and even Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal went with them. This is a great opportunity for them at the junior level, so you know that this is the structure and this way of playing. This is a great step, and the players that come out of this will definitely help us ahead.
Senior Nationals saw national team players participating after a long time. Junior players often don’t get the chance to play with seniors. How important is this move and your participation in tournaments like Senior Nationals and Murugappa for the health of the hockey ecosystem?
Very important. We are getting the opportunity to play the Senior Nationals after so long. It’s nice that we are getting to know how the domestic level of hockey is at the moment. Almost every team we play against has national-level players. When we have meetings and have conversations about hockey, share our experiences, and talk about techniques, it is very important for us. There is a responsibility we have towards the youngsters. They ask us questions about our mindset during matches. These small chats will improve their game. Before the Hockey India League, we used to only hear the names of big players. When we got the opportunity to play and chat with them, it was such a rich experience. Now it is a similar moment for the juniors. These things will motivate these players to achieve what they want.
What has been the impact of the Hockey India League and the Junior World Cup victory on the success of Indian hockey?
HIL had a major role because we played against the top players of the world. We got to know of their mentality, their way of thinking, and how they analyse situations. It was a great thing for us. When I played for Dabang Mumbai, it was a big thing to play with Jamie Dwyer who then played for UP Wizards.i got to interact with him face-to-face as well. That motivated us. Hockey India has helped us a lot too. New faces, new players come out of these and represent the Indian team.
You have a baby daughter. How difficult is it for you to be away from her?
It’s an amazing feeling [being a father]. I went back home after the Asian Games. We had a meeting before the tournament where everyone was asked who they'd dedicate the medal to when they won gold, and every player had a different answer. We have the video recording. I had said that if we win the gold medal, I’ll dedicate it to my daughter. When I landed in India, I put my medal around her neck at the airport. It was a proud moment. Youngsters today don’t follow this sport that well. What would you like to say to them?
The history of Indian hockey is very vast, and we have so many gold medals. Hockey is a completely different and tough game, and when we talk about it, we are getting medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games levels. So this is a great sign for hockey that it is being revived again. I have seen many changes since we came back after winning the Olympic medal in Tokyo. In my village, at least 60–70 kids said they wanted to play this game. The more we perform well and win, the more people will return to supporting hockey, and the atmosphere will go back to what it was before. We know people are watching us, and we want to inspire them to say, ‘Yes, we want to play too’. So yes, I appeal to all of you to support hockey.