Manpreet: Setting milestones and creating legacies

Bengaluru: Ask any Roger Federer fan about Novak Djokovic winning more Grand Slams than the Swiss great, and chances are most would frown at you. 

Pose the same question to Indian hockey player Manpreet Singh, an ardent follower of the 20-time major champion, and he replies: “No. Why? It’s okay. They have each created their own legacies,” before adding: “Now there is (Carlos) Alcaraz and (Jannik) Sinner who are doing well, they might take over in the future no?.” 

The 33-year-old Indian midfield mainstay should know a thing about setting records and creating legacies, for Manpreet became only the second men’s player from the country to cross 400 international matches in June. Former India captain and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey’s record of 412 appearances is under genuine threat now.    

Now, ask the player with 402 caps about making history of his own and leaving behind a footprint, he humbly passes on the credit to everybody around him. 

“Getting to represent the country by itself was a huge thing for me. And to get close to Dilip sir’s record.. It’s a big deal. I could play for so long only because of the support of my team, family and the federation. Because this is not something anyone can achieve individually.” 

Manpreet’s innate positive attitude was perhaps the reason for his career’s longevity. At the wrong end of the 30s, the Mithapur-born man from Jalandhar, Punjab, is still one of the quickest on the field who exudes energy considered infectious by his team-mates. 

“On my debut in 2012, I was so excited and nervous to share the field with greats of Indian hockey such as Rupinderpal Singh, Rajpal Singh, Ignace Tirkey and many more. It was the Asian Champions Trophy in China and we won gold. That medal will always remain special. 

“I learnt from them that you don’t let junior-senior egos come into the equation in a team set-up. Even today, my team-mates joke around saying ‘this fellow has been playing since 2012’,” said the former captain who led India to bronze at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before playing under Harmanpreet Singh-led India that repeated the feat at the Paris Games. 

Besides leading the midfield, Manpreet specialises as the stopper during penalty corners. Along with pusher Hardik Singh and dragflicker Harmanpreet, the trio form a team of their own within the team.

On Friday, during India’s 4-3 win against China at their Asia Cup opener, Manpreet was found fumbling on two occasions while stopping an injected ball from Hardik that appeared to have disturbed Harmanpreet’s rhythm. This is why multiple penalty corner-specific sessions during camps, Manpreet explained, are a point of focus to fine-tune the bond of a pusher-stopper-flicker in the nuanced structure.

“Look, we have one of the best dragflickers (Harmanpreet) in the world. We have to use him to our optimum best. So it is my responsibility, as a stopper, to trap the ball well to make it easy for Harman or Jugraj (Singh) to execute.”

For the Khel Ratna awardee, who has seen the sport’s transition from two-halve 70-minute play to four-half 60-minute games, fitness takes prominence over the rest to keep up with the fast-paced modern-day hockey. 

“The last five years have been all about maintaining body weight. Being an athlete is a 365-day job. Even when I go back home for a week or two during breaks, I’m conscious of what I eat. You know how Punjabis are big on food,” he laughed. 

Fussy eaters, effortlessly funny by nature, age-defying athletes ... rings a bell? A certain Serbian tennis player with 24 Slams and chasing a 25th at the US Open in New York right now? 

There’s a banter by Hardik in an Instagram video that came this week. “Everybody talks about Djokovic... I mean, look at this bhaisab, yaar,” quips the vice-captain while focussing the camera on a smiling Manpreet. Makes perfect sense!