From star-struck trainees to Olympic heroes, Punjab players come a full circle

“I still remember the day when my father dropped me off and I began practicing on the small astro-turf patch,” the double Olympic bronze medallist recalls. “We would spray water on the turf and just knew that we had to hit the ball with a flick after taking a step. Later I watched Jugrajpaji playing at the stadium for Punjab Police teams. So as I stand here playing for the first time at this ground in an Indian jersey, I can only say, ‘I have played in London, Paris and other big cities in the world but to play here is like returning to the lap of one’s mother’.” The old patch he once trained on, was later renovated to a seating area.

Harmanpreet is on the verge of surpassing triple Olympics medallist Balbir Singh Sr’s count of 246 goals for the second spot on the all-time list, behind Dhyan Chand’s record of 570 goals. “If I am able to surpass Balbir Singh Sr’s record here, it will be super special for me,” shares Harmanpreet Singh while speaking with The Indian Express.

With centres like Ranchi, Bhuvaneswar and Delhi hosting international matches in recent memory, the Indian national team is playing in Punjab for the first time since 2009. The Asian Champions Trophy sees eight players from Punjab with five including Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh and goal-keeper Krishan Pathak belonging to the Surjit Hockey Academy.

Forward Mandeep Singh, who too hails from the nearby village of Mithapur, had started hockey at his village academy, before he moved to Surjit’s in 2008 living at the hostel there for a couple of seasons. He is the eighth highest goal-scorer for India currently with his tally of 128 goals in 301 matches. “Initially I stayed in the hostel. My brother would drop me to the academy on the motorbike and during the journey, I would dream about playing for India. I became a fan of Sardar Singh and Sandeep Singh paji after watching them play here in Jalandhar,” he said.

In the first season of HIL in 2013, he turned out for Ranchi Rhinos debuting at Jalandhar with 2008 Olympic winning German captain Moritz Furtse. The German had explained to him that playing at home implied biggest support.

Vice-captain Hardik Singh, who had also trained at Surjit’s apart from being a trainee at Mohali Hockey Academy, remembers his time as a ball boy during the HIL in Mohali in 2013. “I can sense how big it will be for the trainees of the academies across Punjab to watch us play. When I was a ball boy in HIL at Mohali, I would note down the moves of Sardar Singh paji in my mind as well as playing like the Indian stars one day. I too am excited to play there,” says Hardik.

At Village Attari near the India-Pakistan border, hockey trainees are also preparing to watch the village’s poster boy drag-flicker Jugraj Singh in action. “The trainees were part of the exhibition matches and are now excited about watching their hero Jugraj Singh and other Indian stars play at Jalandhar,” says coach Navjit Singh.

Indian coach Craig Fulton sees similarities to hockey pockets in South Africa. “When I first came, I wanted to find out where the players came from and we did a map of India. And it was incredible to see pockets from where most players came and stories of how these players came through the academy system and how Punjab has a rich Olympic history too. And now to come to Jalandhar, it’s the completion of the visual circle. Back home in South Africa too, a rich pool comes from Gauteng or Western Province and I see a lot of similarities here,” says Fulton.

Manpreet Singh, who is the most capped Indian player at present, was ruled out due to a calf injury on Monday but he too is a Surjit Academy product.

Manpreet, who joined the academy in 2005 and later made his international debut for India in the 2011 Asian Champions Trophy, spoke about how he missed a chance with the injury but will be cheering from the stands. “I played as a midfielder as well as defender and right half under coach Jhilmil sir and later Avatar sir and Gurdev Sir. I would often watch videos of Furtse and we also had posters of him in our rooms in the hostel. I went to see the Punjab Gold Cup in Chandigarh in 2009 and became a fan of midfielder Gurbaz Singh,” he recalls.

During the FIH World Cup in Bhuvaneswar, a girl trainee came to meet him at the stadium and told him he was her mid-field inspiration. “It’s unfortunate that I suffered the injury but I am sure there will be many such youngsters from Punjab who will go home taking inspiration from this Indian hockey team,” added Manpreet, who has been replaced by Vivek Sagar Prasad.