“I am glad that the country gave him this nickname” - Lalit Upadhyay on fans naming captain Harmanpreet Singh as ‘Sarpanch’
Indian men’s hockey team midfielder Lalit Upadhyay believes captain Harmanpreet Singh has been deserving of his fan-given nickname of ‘sarpanch’ (chief). Harmanpreet has been a talismanic figure in leading the Men in Blue in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Harmanpreet Singh led from the front in the Paris 2024 Games, eventually finishing the men’s hockey event as the top scorer with 10 goals. The goals have also come in crucial games, with the defender scoring a brace in the bronze-medal match against Spain to clinch India’s second consecutive bronze medal in an Olympic Games.
Speaking at a felicitation ceremony for the returning hockey team players who won the bronze medal in this year’s Summer Olympic Games by beating Spain 2-1, Upadhyay said (as per PTI):
“The country has given him [Harmanpreet] a new nickname [Sarpanch]. I am glad that the country gave him this nickname, the ones who love hockey, as a great captain, he has shown his character and to be the top scorer of the Olympics is a big achievement.
“He is a legend, there is much more to do now, and our vision is that we move forward and we can change the colour of the medal and achieve our dream,” he added.
Indian defender Jarmanpreet Singh echoed similar sentiments about the ‘Sarpanch’ Harmanpreet Singh, telling the media:
“Harmanpreet is a goal machine of the team and we receive a lot of help from him; he is the ‘Sarpanch’.”
“Sreejesh is the best person, a legend” - Indian players pay tribute to outgoing goalkeeper alongside Harmanpreet Singh
Along with Harmanpreet Singh, the Indian men’s hockey team players also spoke about their veteran goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who is retiring from national team duty after the conclusion of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Speaking to the media at the felicitation event, Lalit Upadhyay said:
“Sreejesh is the best person, a legend, and India calls him the ‘Great Wall’, amazing, that is all I can say he played his best hockey, and he has contributed to the country by playing hockey, and the standard he has set as a goalkeeper, it will inspire the next generation.”
Jarmanpreet could not help but agree with his compatriot’s assessment of Sreejesh’s contribution to the Indian hockey ecosystem, saying:
“I do not need to say anything about Sreejesh, the entire country praises him and has seen him play, they all call him the ‘Wall’, he is a legend and a great player. I had a lot of fun playing hockey with him, and I wish Sreejesh continues to do good work for hockey.”
Since making his debut in the 2006 South Asian Games, PR Sreejesh has been a mainstay between the sticks for the Indian men’s hockey team. Now, after a second consecutive bronze medal win in Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, the legendary goalie is bringing the curtain down on his national team career.