K. ARUMUGAM

Bhubaneswar, 11th February 2024: Hockey India congratulated Harmanpreet Singh on completing 200 International Caps when India took on the Netherlands in their second match of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 at the Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

Harmanpreet Singh, the Captain of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team made his debut in 2015 and has been a pivotal part of the Indian defence ever since. He won the Gold medal with the Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team at the 2015 Men’s Hockey Junior Asia Cup in Malaysia later that year as well as the Gold in the 2016 Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup.

This was followed by a Silver medal for the deft defender with the Indian Men’s Hockey Team in the 2016 Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy in London. He then went on to win the Gold medal with the Indian Team in the 2017 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh before helping India finish in third place at the 2016-17 Men’s FIH Hockey World League.

Harmanpreet, in 2018, won the Silver medal with the Indian Team at the Men’s Hockey Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands, the Bronze medal at the Asian Games in Jakarta and the Gold at the Men’s Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat, Oman.

Harmanpreet, who was part of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team that finished eighth in the 2016 Rio Olympics, won his first Olympic medal in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan as the Indian Team finished in third place. He then went on to win another Bronze medal, this time at the 2021 Men’s Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka. The Indian Men’s Hockey Team won the Silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games held in Birmingham, England with Harmanpreet playing a significant role. He won the Gold medal with the Indian team at the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy held in Chennai before winning yet another Gold medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou later that year, which is his most recent achievement.

The 28-year-old Indian Men’s Hockey Team Skipper, when asked about his monumental achievement, said, “It is indeed a great honour to be able to represent India in 200 international matches. I am incredibly grateful to my family, friends, teammates and support staff for the amount of love and support they have given me. I will continue to do my best every time I step onto the field and give it my all.”

Congratulating Harmanpreet on achieving this milestone, Hockey India President Dr Dilip Tirkey said, “A hearty congratulations to Harmanpreet on representing India in 200 matches. He has made everyone proud with the efforts he puts into this game and deserves all the accolades that come his way. It is a matter of great joy to have such an individual serve our country and this game tirelessly for years together and we are sure that he will continue to do so for years to come.”