WHEN Manpreet Singh was starting his journey in hockey, his dream was to play for India and win medals for the country. Fifteen years after making his India debut and having achieved pretty much all his goals, the 33-year-old from Jalandhar is still going strong. The former captain just rewrote history books by becoming India’s most-capped hockey player.
The 400-match club
With 413 appearances, he has surpassed the legendary former India captain Dilip Tirkey’s tally of 412 matches. He is only the second Indian in the 400-match club. In fact, there are only eight players in the world to reach the 400-match milestone, and Manpreet is currently the only active player.
Such is the enormity of his achievement that even Manpreet would not have imagined reaching this far when making his senior India debut as a 19-year-old in 2011.
To everyone else who has known him or followed his career, there was little doubt that Manpreet was the most likely candidate to break the long-standing record.
It is not accidental that Manpreet’s journey with the national team has coincided with the most successful period of Indian hockey in half a century. He is Indian hockey’s most accomplished player in the modern era, with multiple medals at the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Champions Trophy.
Flag-bearer of change
More than the medals, it’s what he symbolises that makes Manpreet stand taller than his teammates in the last decade and a half.
As Indian hockey began its much-delayed transition into the modern era of scientific training and structured playing systems, Manpreet became the flag-bearer of that change. Extremely fit, highly adaptable and a quintessential team player, Manpreet emerged as a poster boy of modern hockey.
Even as he turns 34 later this month, the central midfielder is still the fulcrum of India’s game. Manpreet’s efficiency on the ball and positioning off it have made him inconspicuous despite his ability to pop up all over the field.
A rare all-rounder in the Indian team setup, Manpreet can play in defence, as a midfielder or even among the forwards; and he performs these roles with an efficiency that often makes the fans overlook his influence in India’s success. No wonder coaches over the years, foreign or Indian, have thought twice before even resting Manpreet for a game or two, let alone replacing him.
Central to team balance
In reality, India have still not found his replacement. Even now, Manpreet’s absence, rare as it may be, disrupts the team’s balance.
But Manpreet has never, not even when he was the captain, projected himself to be above the team. He has always been vocal about his role as a cog in a bigger scheme, and he goes about his business with that awareness. That mentality has been a reason for his longevity. Even as he talks about winning the elusive World Cup medal and the Olympics gold at the 2028 Games as his next targets, Manpreet’s motivation to be physically fit and mentally sharp defines the success of the team.
“It is a very proud moment for me to have played so many matches for India. Representing the country has been the biggest honour of my life and reaching this milestone makes me extremely happy,” he said. “I dedicate this achievement to my teammates. The support of my family and teammates fills me with energy and I try to give my best whenever I step onto the field and make them proud,” he added.
