Hockey, FIH Pro League: Harmanpreet Singh – the calm leader and ruthless drag-flicker for team India
With 182 goals across 211 international matches, Singh is the most prolific active goalscorer for India.
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Join our WhatsApp Community to receive travel deals, free stays, and special offers!
- Join Now -
Harmanpreet Singh crouched, just outside the shooting circle on a hockey pitch, putting his weight on the stick, eyes firmly fixed on his teammate who will inject the ball in a few moments. Singh calmly stands in that position, plotting and visualising what he will do next.
Once the ball is pushed, he springs into action, advancing forward, collecting the ball. And in one swift move with practiced bravado, he unleashes a ferocious drag-flick towards goal.
For almost a decade since he made his debut for the national hockey team, the sight of the Indian captain’s penalty corner routine has been feared by opponents.
He will be expected to feature in that crouched, menacing, position once again when the Indian team begins the away leg of the 2023-24 Pro League season on Wednesday.
Since he made his debut for the senior team in 2015, the 28-year-old from Timmowal village in Punjab has become a vital cog for his side. It was only after the team won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 that he was promoted as the full-time captain. But he had been pulling the strings from his defensive position for many years.
“When you are playing as a fullback, you have to be calm on the ball,” he said...
