Harmik Singh, double World Cupper:

“Even though it was the first edition (1971 World Cup Spain) we were not nervous. Our aim was to play with a positive mindset in the tournament. We formed our strategy as per the pool and we planned well for every opponent. We played each team according to our merits and took each match one by one,”

If India finished third in the first edition, they nearly missed out on clinching the trophy against hosts the Netherlands in the nerve wrecking finals. The match went into the tie-breaker after the visitors missed a golden opportunity to score through a penalty stroke with just 31 seconds left for referee to blow the whistle for one final time. India lost out on penalty corners as the Netherlands did not miss their first four and India could only score two.

Few hearts would have skipped a beat as India were on the crux of creating history but Harmeek Singh says the key for a sportsperson is not to pressurise himself. “It is important to remain calm when one plays at the international level. Even though the match was turning out to be a thriller; at no point did we let pressure affect us.”

“Holland scored four goals while we could manage two and thus they bagged the big prize. I am happy that we were united in our efforts and played to our potential in the tournament and made India proud by reaching the finals.”

The recipient of the Arjuna award has a simple advice which is often difficult to implement. “It is very important to start any tournament on a winning note. The Indian team should concentrate hard on the first match against Pakistan. India has been placed in tough group and if they reach the semis, it will boost their morale,” says Singh.