Only 17 but dreaming big

Till a few months ago, 17-year-old Mandeep Singh was a relatively unknown commodity even amongst the ardent hockey lovers in India.

But a stellar performance in the recent Hockey India League saw him earn a berth in the senior national squad for the Hockey World League 2. And, although he didn’t score in India’s opening encounter against Fiji, the Jalandhar lad is sure to be in the national side’s scheme of things for the future.
How quickly things change!

“The league (HIL) made a big difference in my life. I trained two weeks prior to the start, working on my mental game and physical skills,” Mandeep told DNA from Delhi.

The preparations reaped instant rewards. He ended the league as the second highest goal-scorer.More importantly, he caught the eye of Indian coach Michael Nobbs, who said it was a “remarkable achievement for a young player like him” to score 10 field goals.

“I’m extremely happy to be playing for India. My hard-work has paid off. My job was to score goals for the Rhinos, and I will continue to do that for India. That’s the only thing I know,” said Mandeep, a product of the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar.

Incidentally, Mandeep hails from the same village (Mithapur) as the legendary Pargat Singh. Is that the reason he took to hockey? “Not really. I was initially interested in cricket but my family pushed me to pursue hockey,” said Mandeep, who started playing the game at the age of six.

His family now feels a sense of pride in their decision. “We’re ecstatic as parents that our son had such a great tournament and is playing for the senior team. It’s a dream-come-true for us,” said Mandeep’s father, Ravinder Singh, from Mithapur.

Ask Mandeep his aspirations, now that he has made it to the senior team and a mature reply follows. “I want to take Indian hockey to greater heights,” said the ever-smiling Jalandhar boy, all of 17!

@RutvickMehta