The team has matured even further from the time we won the Asian Games gold, and the plan is to peak at the right moment.
It was truly unexpected for me to be named vice-captain for the squad as we travelled to the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Ipoh, Malaysia, in April. It was a huge honour and there was also some pressure because of the responsibility. I always knew that, as a senior player, I had the responsibility of leading the forward line. It was a great honour to be given the added task of assisting Sardar Singh with keeping the team together on the pitch and working on strategies off it.
It was overwhelming when I was first told about it, but as the news sank in I realised that it wasn’t actually something I should be worried about. We are not a group of captains and vice-captains. We are a team of equals.
This isn’t hyperbole. In a team, we cannot allow egos or positions to determine gameplay and strategy. At meetings, huddles and training sessions, everyone is allowed to have an opinion and, more important, is allowed to express it. We cultivate this culture as senior players in the squad.
And so the responsibility was to ensure that the new, younger players who had joined us for Ipoh integrated into the team seamlessly. And the trio—Harmanpreet Singh, Harjeet Singh and Surender Kumar—transitioned brilliantly to the senior team. Harmanpreet in particular was exceptional in the tournament.
Having spent time with him, all I can say is that it is rare to find such a calm head on young shoulders. Added to that is the fact that he is exceptionally quiet, a boy who prefers to do the listening rather than the talking, a forte that will serve him well in the future. With the Junior World Cup scheduled in India later this year, this sort of experience with the senior team will aid Harmanpreet and Co. well.
This story is from the June - July 2016 edition of Sports Illustrated India.
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This story is from the June - July 2016 edition of Sports Illustrated India.
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