Describing how his life has turned on its head since they qualified for the Olympics, shuttling between cities for ad shoots and endorsements, and finding time for interviews, Indian hockey’s newfound star Sandeep Singh says the team’s target at the Olympics is to reach the top four

Indian hockey’s star drag flicker Sandeep Singh candidly confesses that he has been busier since the national team’s Olympic qualifier win two Sundays ago, than he was in the build up to the all-important tournament itself. He’s been busy attending felicitation functions, commercial ad shoots, endorsement deals and what-not, to the extent that he’s been shuttling between three, sometimes four cities in a single day. He’s even contracted high fever and is suffering from severe body ache in the bargain, but there are no complaints, because he’s waited for this moment all his life.

Indian hockey’s star drag flicker says he had initially set a target of 12
goals for the Olympics qualifier tournament. Eventually, he scored 16.

It’s been nearly a decade since Singh made his debut for India at the 2004 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. And it’s only ironic that despite two Olympic Games having gone by since — Athens 2004 & Beijing 2008 — one of the world’s most feared drag flickers is yet to secure that prestigious Olympian tag. It was still early days in his career to make it to the squad for Athens, and Indian hockey rewrote a piece of poor history when it failed to qualify for the Olympics four years later — it was a first in over 80 years.

It’s no wonder then that Singh expunged all the frustration that had built up since that eight-year wait at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium as Team India won the six-nation Olympic qualifier tournament beating France 8-1 in the final on February 26. He scored five goals in that match to take his overall tally in the tournament to a sweet 16. The win was also a perfect birthday gift for the hardworking defender, who turned 26 a day later. But individual goals, quite literally, don’t matter to the Deputy Superintendent of Haryana Police. It’s Team India’s Olympic prospects now that bother Singh, who admits there’s a mountain to climb. Despite the high fever and discomfort in his body, the hockey ace spoke to Sunday MiD DAY about the week that was — after Indian hockey assured itself of a place at the London Olympics.

Excerpts:

It’s been a week since the Olympic qualifier, so has the euphoria settled, or are the celebrations still on?

It’s good to celebrate because it is indeed a special moment for Indian hockey. After India missed out on the Beijing Games, we were desperate to win this tournament. In fact, not just win it, but our aim was to be unbeaten throughout and I’m glad we managed to achieve that. However, celebrations should not go overboard. This is just the beginning. We have the Olympics coming up in the next four months and that should be our focus now.

How has life changed for you after the Olympic qualifier win? Endorsement deals, ad shoots, etc?

My life has literally turned on its head after Sunday (Feb 26). I’ve been in and out of interviews, shuttling between cities for ad shoots, endorsing various products and promoting hockey in every little way I can. I just got back home (in Haryana) from Mumbai and I’ve got to go out for another event now. In fact, I’ve been running high fever for the last two days and my body hurts very badly. But I’m not cribbing. I’m happy that Indian hockey is seeing these days. Who would have ever thought that Indian hockey players would be so sought after? Some people are saying that I’ve suddenly become a big star and ignoring them. However, I’d like to assure them that it’s difficult to make time for everyone right now. Twenty-four hours are just not enough.

Going into the tournament did you think you would score as many as 16 goals?

To be honest, I had set myself a target of 12 goals. But as the tournament progressed and we did well more goals kept happening. But obviously I never expected 16 goals. I’m glad I could do this for my country.

How has new coach Michael Nobbs changed things around?

Nobbs has been just great. He’s not been around for long (he was appointed in June last year) but he’s been effective nevertheless. He’s a man of few words and sharp in his observations. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of every player. He does not talk to players unnecessarily. He will only speak to a player briefly, telling him only what he needs to know, and that works.

The Olympics will be a whole new ball game. Do you think this team is ready for the challenges that Australia, Holland, Germany etc will throw up?

Definitely not. There’s a long way to go for this young Indian team as far as the Olympics is concerned. But thankfully we have a good four months within which to work out our shortcomings. And this team is more than capable of improving in this timeframe. The boys are young and hardworking and very receptive to suggestions and inputs from senior players and the coach.

What do you think will be an ideal finish for Indian hockey at the London Olympics?

It’s early days to set any target as such, as we still have a lot of work to do. People have already begun expecting an Olympic medal from us. But let’s be realistic. This team is in a building phase and I think a good target would be to finish in the top four. And there is a very strong chance that we can achieve this. I hope I can continue to score goals for India at my first Olympic Games.