Interview with Ramandeep Singh: "Indian hockey has plenty of room for improvement"

Indian hockey player Ramandeep Singh

The Indian senior men’s hockey team finished fourth in the FIH Men’s Hockey World League semifinal round in Belgium. The Sardar Singh-led side made a robust beginning before running out of steam in the knockout phase. Ramandeep Singh was one of the bright sparks of the Indian team, scoring goals at crucial junctures for his team. The talented hitman, who is employed with Punjab and Sind Bank, spoke in an exclusive interview.

Excerpts:

 Q. How would you assess India’s performance in the FIH Men’s Hockey World League Semifinal Round?

I think there is plenty of room for improvement. We are a young side and had many seniors missing because of injuries just before the start of the tournament, and it did affect our performance, but we fought hard and would take the positives from this event for the future.

Q How would you describe your goal that helped India beat France in the final minute of play?

Any international goal makes you happy, but it’s all a collective effort. You score when somebody sets it up for you, so credit to that player as well. We work as a team and all deserve the credit.

Q You scored twice in the match against arch-rivals Pakistan during the 2-2 draw.

It always feels good to perform against Pakistan, but I thought we should have won that match. Still we are happy with the 2-2 draw.

Q. There is so much competition for places in the Indian forward line...

Absolutely! Every player has to be at his best and keep delivering on a consistent basis. There is no doubt that healthy competition is good for the team.

Q. Devinder Walmiki has been one of the finds of the Indian team. Your thoughts.

He is a young talented player, who did so well for the country in Belgium. So really happy to see him do well.

Q The world of hockey is seeing a lot of upsets with no such thing as firm favourites, save for probably Australia who have been really consistent.

No team can be taken lightly as on a given day any team can be beaten. One bad day in office and you are gone. You must have seen how France pipped Pakistan and Canada defeated New Zealand. Every team wants to play in the Olympics and nobody is going to give an inch.

Q You seemed to have worked on you game – in terms of being sluggish in reacting to passes inside the striking circle.

I’m slogging it out in the training sessions and I’m glad that you are noticing an improvement in my game. There is a lot of hard work to be done and I would push the bar and look to get better and better.

Q You have played under two coaches – Terry Walsh and Paul Van Ass. Share your experiences with both of them.

Both are good coaches. Every coach will have his plans and a different structure. I’m sure this Indian team will do well, give us some time that’s all I can say for now.