–Boria Majumdar
With the world cup just days away and the build up on in full swing all eyes are on the Indian hockey team. Can they script history on home soil and emulate what Ajit Pal Singh’s team had achieved in 1975? While the task isn’t easy with teams like Australia and Belgium around, the Indians have shown glimpses, which certainly give their fans hope. They have been competitive against the best teams in the world and Tokyo was proof they have the fight in them to make a difference. Under new captain Harmanpreet Singh and with a 20,000 strong home crowd behind them at the spectacular Birsa Munda stadium in Odisha, things do look good for Indian hockey. Here’s Harmanpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh in a candid conversation with Boria Majumdar on Backstage With Boria on their preparation, pressure, expectations and what the world cup means to the team.
Boria- Captaining the team in a world cup on home soil in front of your home crowd, it can’t get bigger than this for you.
Harmanpreet- Haan bhaisaab. It is a huge occasion. We don’t know when the world cup will be back on Indian soil and this is a massive opportunity. Each one of us are aware of the significance of the occasion and we have prepared accordingly. As captain it means a lot to me to be able to lead the team in front of our fans. But you know what we need to prepare differently as well. For example there will be a lot of noise in the ground when we play. So when I shout out instructions or when Sree bhai shouts instructions it could well be the players upfront don’t hear them. We have been talking about such things and planning for every possible issue that can come up. We don’t want to leave anything to chance and like you said there will not be an occasion as big as this in the future.
Boria- 18 Pro league goals in 2022, India’s best drag flicker, how are you looking at the responsibility that you have as a player?
Harmanpreet- 2022 was a very good year for me. And to score goals against the best teams in the world is always a great feel. But it is not me alone. Drag flick is a process. Each one has a role. It is only after the ball is stopped that I come in. So it is not me alone who should get credit. Each one of us have a designated role and it is about performing the role to perfection. And also prepare for situations when things don’t go to plan. For example if the ball isn’t properly stopped and it can well happen in a crucial moment in the match what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to react? If you are ready only then you can get the best out of a drag flick opportunity.
Boria- Sree the travelled to Australia in December and while the results did not go our way, it must have been excellent preparation to play against one of the world’s best teams?
Sreejesh- Absolutely. Let me tell you something. When you play against teams like Australia you learn a lot. They are one of the best sides and if you stay competitive against them you get the self belief you can do it. CWG was a bad memory and each of the players wanted to redeem themselves and it was an opportunity. We all wanted to fight as a team and show ourselves that we are good enough. That’s what happened in most games and though we lost the series we fought all through. We created opportunities and that’s what is the biggest positive from the series.
Boria- There was a special goalkeeping camp just weeks back. Tell me about it.
Sreejesh Yes it was a good camp and it helped us fine tune. When you are playing continuously there are little things that might go unnoticed. That’s what you fix in camps like this. There will be no major change in technique or approach or anything like that. All you do is focus on the micro. Try and address issues that you normally wouldn’t. And in that sense it helped a lot.
Boria- Have you started to visualise? Have you thought about what it could mean to you and the team if you make the podium?
Harmanpreet- Every single day. Bhaisaab it will be the moment of our lives. To win a world cup medal for our country on home soil is a dream each one of us have lived and are living. And I can tell you we will give it everything we have to ensure we fulfil this dream. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity and we will not let it go. If Tokyo was a turning point in our lives, this could be even bigger.