Considered as the only player from the current side who could have made it into the golden team of yore, Sardar Singh is a marvel. The Indian captain spoke to Abhishek Purohit
Centre-half is the most important position of a hockey team. The success of a team is directly proportional to the outing of the central mid-fielder. This position is to act as a linkman between the defenders and the strikers, while the dual role as the playmaker gives it further prominence. And coaches around the world generally put the most creative and hard-working player (running 17km on an average during an international game) at the middle of the field.
Those who have been following Indian skipper Sardar Singh must have known that he has played in various positions under various coaches as a junior. With Arjun Halappa and Jugraj Singh being more prolific, they used to play at the centre. But, once Sardar became the number one player of the team, being centre half came naturally. And since being at the centre of hockey field, the Indian captain, who hails from a village called Santhanagar near Sirsa in Haryana, hasn't disappointed.
"Paaji, bahut jor lagani padti hai dimag aur body pe," Sardar tells you. But, given the rigorous training he has undergone in Namdhari academy during his childhood and the habitual toil he is now used to, he has passed test one after the other, becoming India's fulcrum.
But the importance of the position requires constant improvement and Sardar has kept abreast with the changing rigours. For every training session, he is the first to arrive and the last to leave it.
"During a national camp in Pune in 2010, I played a left-handed pass which failed to reach my team-mate on the right. I thought 'why did this happen'IJ For it, I sought advice from the coaches and watched videos of masters of the game. I was determined to work on it and spent hours trying to get rid of the weakness. Now, I feel that the backhand is one of my best passes," he said.
But what makes him such a good mid-fielderIJ
"One need to have a good vision. I look for hints. From the corner of my eye, I identify my players' position. who can move ahead after a pass. One has to react quickly as the centre of the field is a dangerous area with three defenders putting pressure on you. It is really important to work on the strategy against particular players and teams. But above all, I believe hard work and deep thinking are the features. Even missing a ball during training also takes away my sleep," the 28-year old analysed.
To move ahead, Sardar takes inspiration from popular footballers like Maradona and lionel Messi. "Football and hockey have a lot in common. I watch Maradona and Messi's ball movements, their warm-up and style of ball supplying and finishing. Also I watch videos of my past performances and think and try not to repeat the better part of my game," the skipper, who in 2011 and 2012 found his name in the lists of FIH All Star teams and, which facilitated his move to play for elite club HC Bloemendaal as a replacement to five-time Olympian Teun de Nooijer, pointed out.
One of his most recent performances have helped Delhi Waveriders win the Hero Hockey India league title.
"I am proud to have captained the Delhi team to the title. There are so many talented players, including 70 Olympians in the league. We had a very good team and we delivered at the right time. It was a wonderful tournament. It is good that we won it and the pressure is off my back now," Sardar said.
The tournament is considered to be the game-changer for Indian hockey and the skipper feels that it has already impacted the nation's game which has failed to produce a gold-medal winning team for the last 34 years.
"It all depends on your own thinking. We have got good young players like Mandeep Singh in the last edition and this year we saw some good talent at work. But we need to understand Terry Walsh's strategy quickly and effectively. He has provided a good platform and needs continuity. Our players must transform the same level and intensity (as shown in HIl) when they come into the national team. Many players would have learnt something out of the 30-day long tournament. They should think deeply about their game and bring in the experience from those learning sessions into the training from March 9th in Delhi for the upcoming World Cup in May-June."
"We have got good coaches who plan a good practice regimen. Earlier, coaches would make us run for 70 minutes or make us spend three hours at the ground. But that training was of no use since our muscles would settle accordingly. But there has been a dramatic change in the last few years. We've had some of the best coaches and now we train for a shorter duration, but its high intensity 'pressure' training," Sardar explains and adds, "to be honest matching Germany, Australia and Holland will take time. But against sides like England and New Zealand, we can compete.
Come World Cup, the Indian team will face a lot of challenges and what remains to be seen is can the players match up to the world challenge, we know one player who can.