Manpreet Singh, the ball of enthusiasm and fiery energy in the Indian center of the field, confused the opponent around the world; Pivot in the middle, side tools outstretched, terrier in defense, and when it is in this mood, it is a blur, turns on around opposition defense and slips right before the ball slams the frightened, somewhat stunning goalkeeper.
After the match for League against Australia in Antwerp, which India lost 2-3, match No. 400 for ManPreet. The victory would be ideal. Yet ManPreet, Mithapur Kid, in 400 games and counting, survived many of his contemporaries. Regardless of talent, grind through junior levels and yo-yo nature of Indian hockey, this longevity stems from consistency and determination. Four hundred international matches indicate that he can touch five hundred, a milestone in modern hockey.
I know ManPreet since my first days in junior hockey – at that time it wasn’t someone who immediately got off. Some players are modified and shaped; Manpreet formed his own career and became central to Indian hockey. The fire inside the player – whether it be a performance in matches or keep a long career – must be triggered by the player himself. A lot of talents fell on the siding or disappeared for all reasons. But one thing most of them was missing was the old, reliable feature: gravel.
Last June, at the opening ceremony of Dartmouth College, Roger Federer said, “It’s not a gift. It’s about having gravel.”
Players often chase the numbers, yet when Manpreet says, “It’s just a number,” you believe. In an interview three years ago, at the Kaling Stadium, while the team prepared for the World Championship, I asked him if he became captain in Paris 2024, would be the only one after Pargat Singh to Captain India at two consecutive Olympics, both come from four consecutive Olympics. His answer was short: “It doesn’t matter.” Then he added: “It’s important to play well. I enjoy sport. It’s not about how much you play but how much you win. Look at Aussies – less games, more medals.”
Manpreet’s approach reflects the access of top athletes. Bill Bertka, former Lakers assistant, once said Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and LeBron James: “They are both intelligent and devoted.” Abdul-Jabbar played under 42 years. LeBron, this year, at the age of 40, could create a 23rd season. If Manpreet reaches the La 2028 Olympics, it would be the fifth look – a record for Indian hockey.
Indian hockey once fought with motivation, especially when the results at the Olympics and the World Cup did not achieve. The career often ended due to fixation of selectors with age. Bronze Tokyo 2020 ended 41 -year -old Olympic medals. Re -applying ManPreet. He lost the captain, but again defined his role. Tokyo success liberated him. Fitness and thinking have evolved. The only Indian with more caps than him is the current President of Hockey India Dilip Tirkey (412). John-John Dohmen leads between the international internationals, the Belgian midfielder of the world and the Olympic champion.
India would have medals in Tokyo; Selectors could eliminate seniors, also called “aging legs”. ManPreet acknowledges that 400 is a significant milestone: “He is proud for a moment, but this is the success of the team. Every player contributed.”
He slipped smoothly into the robes of the sage. Since completion at the Olympic Games in London 2012 after the leadership of the junior team in 2013 and the victory of gold at Incheon 2014 was a gradual arch. The final performance of the Champions Trophy in 2016 and again in 2018, followed by the tokyo stage, showed the team’s development. In cooperation with coaches such as Oltmans, Walsh, Reid and now Fulton has learned how to close the gap between performance and results.
Now 32, Manpreet says that his reading of the game is sharper and is more self -blooded. “I admit my mistakes,” he says.
In a still somewhat chaotic battle that Indian hockey will get tangled during specific neighborhoods where the universe dries and anything you have done on the record does not move to the playground, ManPreet, tensioned on a leash, smashes, slap the ball forward, switches the team to the offensive transition. Within a few seconds, he broke the high -pressure moment at speed and unpredictability.
President Hockey India Dilip Tirkey calls 400. The game ManPreet and testimony of “determination and determination”. Tirkey believes that today the peace of the team comes from players like ManPreet – players who feel free to understand and drive situations.
The 2026 World Cup will mark 50 years since the last Indian world title. The surface on the stage is still elusive. ManPreet is not on it, but knows its importance. “It is not enough to play well at the World Championship,” he says. “Only on stage can relieve pain, end waiting.”
Previously, the Asia Cup appears in September. “We have to qualify for the World Championship. That’s a goal. I just have to keep fit and we’ll do it.”
Motivation is measured by appearances. For ManPreet it is his family – wife Illi Saddique and mother – who provide grounding and honorary feedback. “My wife is especially my sounding album. She doesn’t hesitate to point out what might be better.”
Anything is possible in modern sport. From teams that drive into winning positions after being locked to players who change the skin of the team. In sports, where the teams are made up of different connected parts, ManPreet, as an individual, one of the parts, it makes a fun, the range of options expands when it is on the pitch.
In the sport built around teamwork, ManPreet remains one of those parts that increase the whole. Four hundred plus can be just another number-but a post is not for it.
Published:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published on:
June 21, 2025
