Interview: HIL has helped to improve my tackling skills, says Indian midfielder Manpreet Singh

Manpreet Singh was a revelation for the Ranchi Rhinos in the recently concluded Hero Hockey India League. His prowess on the hockey pitch during the 34th FIH Champions Trophy and the 2nd Asian Champions Trophy evoked copious praise from many quarters.

Fresh from playing his part in helping Rhinos clinch the HIL crown, Manpreet is now busy training at the national camp in Delhi for the upcoming Hero Hockey World League Round 2 tournament beginning at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium from February 8.

“It’s nice to be back in the national camp after the HIL. Coach Michael Nobbs is happy to see all of us do well for different franchises. He is now telling us to focus on playing as a team. Hopefully, we would fare well in the Hero Hockey World League Round 2 tournament,” Manpreet says bubbling with excitement in an exclusive interview to Sportskeeda.

A product of the Surjeet Hockey Academy, Manpreet made his international debut when he led the country in the 2008 Junior Asia Cup in Myanmar. A knee injury in 2009 kept him out of competitive action for almost a year. “I owe a lot to the Surjeet Hockey Academy, where I started training at the age of 12 in 2005 under coaches Avtar Singh and Jarnail Singh. I was with SHA till 2010,” he recalls his early days.

Manpreet is not the only player from the the Surjeet Hockey Academy to play for the country. “My Ranchi Rhinos team-mate Mandeep Singh is also a product of SHA. Then we have Delhi Waveriders’ Akashdeep Singh and Mumbai Magicians’ Satbir Singh, who all have honed their hockey skills at the SHA,” he accentuates the importance of SHA in churning out talented hockey players.

The youngster, who works as an Assistant Manager of Indian Overseas Bank, is coming off a massive learning curve having being part of a star-studded Ranchi Rhinos side in the HIL. “Hero Hockey India League was a huge learning curve for me. As a youngster, I couldn’t have asked for more. When you play with world-class players like Moritz Fuerste, Ashley Jackson, Nick Wilson and Fergus Kavanagh, you keep learning day in day out. Their skills speak for themselves. Sharing the dressing room with some of the world’s top players was a fantastic experience,” Manpreet gushes.

Manpreet believes the HIL was one hell of an experience for the Indian youngsters. “Look at the way our junior players have performed. They really relished the prospect of playing in the HIL. Guys like Mandeep Singh and Malak Singh were outstanding and now have made it to the senior team. The Indian youngsters were the biggest gainers from the HIL.”

So, what has been his biggest learning from the HIL? “I always thought that I needed to work on my tackling skills. There is always room for improvement for a sportsperson and HIL really helped to improve my tackling skills. I’m sure you would see much improved tackling skills from me in the Hero Hockey World League Round 2 tournament,” he promises.

A lot has been said about Ranchi Rhinos’ free-flowing hockey in the HIL. What is that one factor that helped the Reds corner glory? “Ranchi Rhinos won the HIL because of our great teamwork. Our foreign players really combined well with the Indian youngsters, egging them all the time. Our pre-event preparation was also good as it allowed us to get our combination and passing going,” he says.

Manpreet, who has made 57 international appearances for India, feels Rhinos’ depth in the side worked wonders for the team. “During our away league game against Uttar Pradesh Wizards, we were playing without big guns Moritz Fuerste and Ashley Jackson but still won convincingly by a 3-1 margin. I remember Fergus Kavanagh was simply magnificent in that game. He manned the midfield and defence with aplomb even though Mortiz and Jackson were not playing.”

Rhinos had the strongest presence in the midfield among all five HIL teams. How was the real-time experience of essaying passes with a great like Moritz Fuerste? “Just superb, he is so down-to-earth. I tried to learn how he managed to come up with razor-sharp passes that often find strikers upfront. For a striker, it’s like food coming into your food. You know he is so precise with his passes. Another thing Moritz tells me is the importance of weaving passes that induces fouls from the opposition,” he elaborates.

Manpreet, who made his senior international debut at the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy in Ordos, China, says he was amazed with the training methods, especially their off-the-field training. “Netherlands’ Floris Evers keeps telling us that one should keep the chin up even you are losing. A confidence of a player should be same whether the team is winning or losing. Basically, he was trying to convey that the self-confidence of a player should not get dented just because the team has lost a match,” he points out.

And how about learning playing alongside a supremely talented Ashley Jackson? “Jackson is such a multi-talented player. He is a midfielder who has got everything – speed, skill and potent drag-flicks. Usually, a fullback is known to be a good drag-flicker but as a midfielder Jackson is very handy. He helps out the defence whenever required and doesn’t mind playing upfront.”

Talking of his family, Manpreet hails from Mithapur in Jalandhar district of Punjab – a place which produced the great Pargat Singh. His father is a farmer but hockey runs in the family. “Both my elder brothers Amandeep Singh and Sukhraj Singh have played for Punjab at the national championships,” he reveals with a glint of pride.

And why is he is nicknamed ‘Korean’? “I got this nickname because of hair and also because of the fact that I’m diminutive. Maybe I look like a Korean,” he wraps up the confabulation flashing a broad smile.