Even as the Indian men's hockey team unveiled their intentions on Thursday for this year's World Cup, former captain Sardar Singh suggested the uncertainties prevailing among the players. Stressing on how top notch individual performance would be the factor that would guarantee players a spot in the first team, Singh said, "Many new players have been given chances as of late, but nobody is sure of their inclusion. Each player will have to put up their top performance at every opportunity, and only the best will be used to build the core team."
Singh might have spoken for the team, but he looked quite optimistic about his own situation. laughing off a query that asked how he felt about being held responsible for slowing down the game, Singh was quick to answer, "I was never fast, in the first place. Yes, I have had problems adapting as a forward, but I'll be doing what's best for the team. Although, I do feel that I can contribute more as a midfielder or a free-man."
It was under Michael Nobbs that Sardar had first played as a free-man during 2011-12. He made his return to that position only after a stretch of 6-7 years during his last outing in the Asian Cup.
Despite the heavily packed schedule in hand for the Indian hockey team this year, the 31 year old Padma Shri winner seemed eager to take the challenges ahead, even beyond 2018.
"My services will definitely be available for this year's tournaments," he said. "In 2019, we don't have any major tournaments and we'll be preparing for the Olympics. I will be looking to avoid injuries and perform well in the upcoming tournaments. I'll be giving my best right from the next challenge we have."
The Azlan Shah Cup happens to be the next challenge for the Indian men's hockey team and captain Manpreet Singh is the one who eyes it before anything else.
"We'll have to put a lot of work for the Azlan Shah Cup before getting ready for the tournaments that follow, "Manpreet said during an afternoon that saw the likes of Dhanraj Pillay and Dilip Tirkey gather to unveil Odisha government's association with Hockey India. "The overall performance of the team has been good," the captain added. "This year is an important one for us. It began with a tournament and we're picking up the areas we need to work on to strengthen our team. We're not aiming directly for the Asian games and the World Cup. We're planning to get there by picking up lessons in the earlier tournaments that lead to it."
The captain also seemed quite happy with the inclusion of youngsters in the team. "Our young players are receiving a very comfortable environment where they are learning from the experienced members of the team. Also the youngsters are bringing in a lot of energy with them," he said.
Thursday's conference was a joint opportunity for the Odisha government led by their Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and Hockey India to unveil their pioneering mutual agreement. This is the first time that a state government has sponsored a national hockey outfit, a point duly noted by the designers who created India's national team jerseys, which made up for yet another highlight of the day.
The state of Odisha is under preparations for hosting this year's men's hockey world cup, which starts from November 28.