Sandeep Singh - Ace Drag Flicker
Field hockey player and former Indian Hockey team Captain - Sandeep Singh was and is one of the best Indian players to have ever played hockey. He has kept up a steady pace and consistency in his performance unlike another player in the Indian hockey history. Players like Singh are the only rays of hope that Indian has to establish the hockey team on an international front. In spite of field hockey being the national sport of India, we have hardly impressed as a team anywhere. At the max, we have only been a sloppy second to a victorious team.
Last year, at the 2012 London Olympics, the Indian hockey team came dead last at the twelfth place. Following this humiliating display, the hockey league authorities looked towards improving the situation with sensible solution. Younger blood was the unanimous answer and a new team was handpicked and molded into a tightly function group of eighteen men in blue uniform. But in the process of sorting things out certain valuable players were relegated. One of them happens to be the comparatively erstwhile champion Sandeep Singh. He has been a solid player of the team ever since his international debut at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in Kuala Lumpur in January 2004. His impressive statistics earned him the captaincy in January 2009. It was under his leadership that Indian hockey team defeated Malaysia at the finals of Ipoh and clinched the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009. This was an important milestone in Sandeep Singh profile as India was able to claim back that title after a gap of thirteen long years. Also he was the top scorer of the tournament. In the same manner, it was after a period of eight years that Indian was finally able to qualify for the Olympics. The team had an astounding victory over France at the qualifying finals but more importantly Singh had an one of the best moments of his hockey career when he became the highest scorer of the Olympic qualifiers tournament by amassing sixteen goals including the hat trick he scored from penalty corners during the final.
In the same manner, Sandeep singh became the highest scorer with a tally of eleven goals to his credit in the inaugural Indian hockey league but failed to be included in the squad set to participate in the upcoming round two of the Hockey world league. According to coach Michael Nobbs, he needs to re-invent himself, if he plans on making a comeback to the national side.
