In His Third Olympics, Harmanpreet Singh Aims To Achieve More - Exclusive

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The Indian men's hockey team is currently in Australia, gearing up to face them in the 5-match test series. The series is set to commence on April 6th in Perth, marking a crucial step in the team's readiness for the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

India played their last match against Ireland on February 25th in the FIH Pro League, winning 4-0. After almost 38 days, Indian players will pick up their hockey sticks to battle against one of the best teams in the world.

In an exclusive interview with myKhel, India's captain Harmanpreet Singh spoke about the tournament, stating, "This series will be very important for us before the Paris Olympics. We will have 5 matches against Australia, and we will see how we can improve.

"After this, there are also Pro League matches to be played before the Paris Olympics. It will be good to get as many matches as possible, and we will know which team will be selected. We will try to use our structure and planning against Australia."

Team India blanked Ireland 4-0 in its final home game of the FIH Pro League 2023-24 at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela. When asked about what lessons India took from the past matches in the Pro League, Harmanpreet replied, "We played the Pro League in two phases in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela, and the experience in both was very good.

"In the match against Australia, we were initially down but then made a comeback. The matches we played in Rourkela were very different; there was intense competition among the teams. We created many more chances there and scored goals, and the team's confidence was also very high at that time. We had a great experience in the past Pro League matches."

Paris 2024 Will Be Harmanpreet Singh's Third Olympics

The Paris Olympics will be the 28-year-old Harmanpreet's third Olympics. Before this, the drag-flick expert represented India in the Tokyo Olympics, where India won a prestigious bronze medal after 41 years, and he also participated in the Rio Olympics, where India finished 8th.

Speaking about his third Olympics, Harmanpreet said, "Situations will be the same, and the tempo of the Olympics always remains high. My focus here is to do my best, and our preparation before the Olympics is going very well."

Playing The Opener Against New Zealand in Paris

New Zealand has always given headaches to the Indian team in past Olympics, whether it was in the Athens Olympics where New Zealand defeated India 2-1, or in the London Olympics where the Black Sticks prevailed 3-1. However, in the Tokyo Olympics, India managed to defeat New Zealand 3-2 in the opener.

This time, the Indian team will also play their opening match against New Zealand on 27th July in the Paris Olympics. When asked if playing against New Zealand in the opener adds pressure, Harmanpreet replied, "It's not about pressure; whatever you have done in your training, if you implement it in the match, the result will be positive.

"For us, the minutes of the first and last quarters are important. If we score first, then our defence will be equally important. Even if we concede a goal, we have to return as soon as possible. This is our mindset; this is what we are saying. Match by match, we will prepare for the Olympics, implementing what has been explained in our training and meetings."

Is the memory of Paris Still Fresh?

After a 41-year wait, the Indian men's hockey team finally had an Olympic medal since the gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. After being 3-1 down at one point, India made a big comeback to beat Germany 5-4 and claim the bronze medal.

The 28-year-old, who scored 6 goals in that competition, said "This memory will last all your life, but it is also true that if you keep thinking about what you have achieved, you will not regress in the future.

"The life of a sportsman is always about achieving new targets. Whether it is your first Olympics or second Olympics, the player aims to do better and create new memories. The Tokyo Olympics is a proud moment for us, and after that, there are now more responsibilities and expectations for the team. This is the thought in our minds: how can we improve using what we have achieved? We will keep trying, this time also, to perform well in the Olympics."

As Harmanpreet Singh gears up for his third Olympics, the memories of past triumphs fuel his determination to excel on the grandest stage once more but before that, he looks to do well in the upcoming assignments, the first being a bilateral Test series in Australia.