Indian men’s Hockey team forward Shamsher Singh recently got an opportunity to represent the country against reigning Olympics champions, Argentina at their den in the recent tour. The 23-year-old youngster expressed his joy and satisfaction to represent the tricolour in such crucial matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League last month. Shamsher said that the matches gave him a first-hand perspective of playing in top-level hockey tournaments.
“One can practice a lot during training sessions, but a player’s actual ability can be judged only while matches and therefore I was delighted to play in a big tournament like the Pro League. To be among the best, we have to constantly test ourselves against the best and I was very happy with the way I performed in the Pro League matches against Argentina,” said Shamsher Singh.
The matches certainly gave me a good idea about the level at which a hockey athlete plays in a big tournament. The competition certainly gave me great exposure and I am sure the experience will help me become a much better player for India,” he continued.
After making his debut in 2019 at the Olympic Test event in Tokyo, where India were victorious winning the finals against New Zealand by a margin of 5-0. The best part for the youngster was that he netted his first goal for India in such a crucial match. Shamsher has not looked back since then, the team is very well aware of his talent and what he brings to the lineup.
The 23-year-old also feels that the correct fixture of youth and experienced players makes the Indian team as strong as they are currently. He highlighted the performances of the Indian youngsters who did well during the Argentina tour and feels that it is a great sign for Indian hockey.
“The best part about our team is that there is a good mix of experience and youth on our side. The experienced players have been performing consistently for many years and therefore the brilliant contributions made by youngsters, such as Rajkumar Pal and Vivek Sagar Prasad, in the tour of Argentina has increased the confidence and the belief in our side tremendously. We just have to keep fine-tuning our game and hit our peak by the time we travel for the Olympics,” the forward explained.
India won both their FIH Hockey Pro League matches against Argentina winning the first one 3-2 via penalty shootout and then dominating the second match and winning 3-0. They also played four practice matches and won two of them while they ended with a draw and a defeat.
While Graham Reid’s men were sensational when it mattered the most, but still there were areas they would like to improve. Similarly, Shamsher is also keen to iron out his mistakes from the Argentina tour.
“One has to keep improving with every training session and that’s what I look to do. I have thought about a few techniques that I need to work on, and I am working on them one by one at the SAI campus. We are definitely very lucky to be in a safe environment here in Bengaluru and continue to practice for the Olympics. We are really grateful to Hockey India and SAI for all their efforts in the last year,” he concluded.
