Times of India: Euro display has widened player pool: Manpreet Singh

By Dhananjay Roy

MUMBAI: The Indian team drew considerable flak for their below-par performance at the World Hockey League Semi Final in June. They finished sixth in the competition, and baring the two wins over a weak Pakistan outfit, the side led Manpreet Singh did little of note. The selectors responded by bringing in six new faces for their tour to Europe which began on August 9, where they played Belgium and the Netherlands (two Tests each), and concluded with a solitary game against Austria.

To their credit, Roelant Oltman’s side put up commendable displays, and although they were beaten 2-0 (series score) by Belgium, they regrouped remarkably to trump the Dutch 2-0 before edging past the Austrians. “The challenge before us was to raise our game after some poor results, especially in the HWL, and that’s what we managed to do,” Manpreet told TOI on Saturday. So, how did they turn things around, especially after losing to Belgium?

“We may have lost the games against Belgium, but our performance wasn’t bad. It’s just that we ended up wasting numerous opportunities which cost us heavily,” explained the midfielder, who was given the chance to lead the team in goalkeeper PR Sreejesh’s absence.

He was especially pleased by the gumption shown by the young brigade and credited their performance for the striking turnaround they witnessed against a strong team like the Netherlands. ” All of them were eager to show that they are capable of playing for the senior team and that’s what they managed. Gurjant (Singh), Varun (Kumar) and Armaan (Qureshi) scored goals and that will surely help their confidence in the forthcoming camps.”

Manpreet also had words of praise for the young defender and drag-flicker Amit Rohidas, and believes the performance of the team has widened the pool of players from which the selectors can choose. “Our focus for the remainder of the year is on the Asia Cup followed by the HWL final in Bhubaneswar. So the more players we have who are performing, the better it is for us. Some of the boys got a chance because three of our senior players were injured, and it’s a positive sign that they are eager to do well.”

The lack of a decent replacement for the injured Sreejesh has been a cause for concern of late, but Manpreet said Akash Chikte and Suraj Karkera, the two custodians who stood under the bar on the tour, gave a good account of themselves. “It’s not easy to find a goalkeeper of Sree bhai’s calibre, but both Akash and Suraj did well. Both, Belgium and Holland, have some world class strikers and drag flickers, but the two of them showed a lot of courage.” On his own captaincy, Manpreet said: “I don’t mind admitting that there are times when I have made mistakes. But, I have made it a point to speak to the seniors like Sardar, Sreejesh, Rupinderpal.”