CHENNAI: After an injury-plagued year, India senior hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh is eager to gain momentum in the lead-up to what he calls a "packed year."
In 2026, India will be taking part in the Asian Games and the FIH Hockey World Cup. Before that, they also have the crucial Pro League leg at home, Australia and Europe. There, India will have an opportunity to directly qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
Harmanpreet had suffered an ankle injury in the previous edition of Hockey India League earlier this year, followed by a wrist injury during the Bhubaneswar leg of the FIH Pro league in February and a damaged finger tissue midway through the European leg of the Pro League in June.
That finger injury had proven to be a mighty blow for India, as they finished eighth in the nine-team tournament. He turned the tide later by leading the team to Asia Cup victory in Rajgir. In the process, India secured a berth in the World Cup in Belgium and Netherlands. Then he took part in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, where the team lost in the final to Belgium, before rounding his year off in a three-match tour in South Africa. The 29-year-old said that the players will take next year's schedule step by step, beginning with the Hockey India League from January 3.
"We will get a lot of help in the league because we are playing with overseas players. After that, the Pro league (from February) is also very important for us. If we win it, we will qualify directly for the Olympics. There is little time but the team's goal is to do well in the World Cup and in the Asian Games," he said on the sidelines of JSW Soorma Hockey Club's jersey unveiling event here on Wednesday.
His presence in the Indian squad will be pivotal. With the developmental squads racking up good results, a change in the composition of the squad may happen. "The workload is such that the World Cup and Asian Games are important for us. But in the Pro League, if there are any changes, we can do it. But I think we have to sit with the coach first and we need to discuss," he explained.
Harmanpreet felt it will be vital for the Craig Fulton-coached side to maintain belief. "All the games we have lost were very close games. Rest, mostly we have won with one goal. The belief to win can come to us at any time, so we have to be strong. We know that we are good and we have to stick to it," he explained.
'Hope to start well and see more talent in HIL'
Harmanpreet will be playing his second season for Soorma HC, a year after his Rs 78 lakh purchase.
The team has retained most of its core from last season and only signed Jeetpal for Rs 3.2 lakh in September's mini auction. Last season, the club finished second in the group phase, before bowing out in the semifinals to Hyderabad Toofans. "We played very well in the last few matches but our start was not that good. So this time, the mindset is to do well in the start and finish well in the end," he said.
After their creditable performances in the Junior Hockey World Cup which concluded earlier this month, he hopes that the young players can make their mark in this league. "They have done well in the Junior World Cup. I hope that we get to see more talent in HIL. I will be very happy if they come to the team."
Princepal Singh, Arshdeep Singh and captain Rohit are few of the names that has left a impression on Harmanpreet. "There are three to four boys who are doing very well. But even if they come to the camp, they still need to wait for a year to gel with the team," he remarked.
