From being a hapless victim of a sting operation at the start of his career to becoming an Olympic medallist, Indian men’s hockey team striker Lalit Upadhyay has worked hard to rebuild his career and considers all the setbacks as blessings in disguise. At the the age of 17 in 2008, Lalit’s fledging career came to a sudden halt when he was embroiled in an unnecessary scandal for no fault of his. Posing as an agent, a reporter from a TV channel offered then Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) secretary K Jothikumaran a sponsorship deal only if a player of their choice was taken into the Indian team, and Lalit’s name was taken as a bait.

Lalit was unaware of such a ‘deal’ and shaken by the incident, he almost quit hockey.

“If this happens to any boy who is immature and has come into the team with big dreams, he would be shattered. We had only heard about India winning eight Olympic medals but had not seen it happen in front of us. It was a dream to play in the Olympics and win a medal,” Lalit told PTI Bhasha.

“But in a way it was a blessing in disguise for me. When I faced all this in the beginning, I became mentally stronger. Although I have forgotten that incident, whenever I remember it, I feel stronger.

“Now the circumstances have changed a lot, social media has also come, so it will not happen with anyone. I consider myself lucky that I have left that behind and now going to play in the Olympics for the second time. Whenever I wear this jersey, I get inspired to do something special,” said the 30-year-old forward, who was a vital member of India’s bronze medal-winning side in Tokyo.

An Olympic bronze and Asian Games gold already in his kitty, Lalit is now focused on changing the colour of the medal in Paris Games, starting July 26.

“We know that expectations are high because we won an Olympic medal after a long time in Tokyo. We are confident that the colour of the medal will be changed,” said Lalit, who has scored 45 goals in 168 international appearances.

“We have worked hard on fitness in the last four years, which is visible on the field. In fitness, we are at par with the top teams in the world. The fitness level of seniors along with young players have improved tremendously.” But it won’t be easy in Paris as India are placed in a tough Pool B along side New Zealand, reigning champions Belgium, mighty Australia, Argentina and Ireland.

India will open their campaign against New Zealand on July 27.

“It’s irrelevant to focus on the pool because all teams come with full preparation to give their best. We will focus on one match at a time and try to give our best in every match,” said Lalit.

Lalit is optimistic about India’s chances, saying in modern day hockey the gap is very narrow between top teams of the world.

“Hockey is always changing and all the teams keep updating themselves. Our training program is also prepared keeping this in mind. We recently played the FIH Pro League and we practice keeping in mind top teams like Australia, Germany and Belgium,” he said.

“This time there have been a lot of field goals in the Pro League and the focus is on creating opportunities inside the D. As forwards, we try to score field goals or produce penalty corners which is very important in modern hockey,” added Lalit.

India have retained 11 players from Tokyo while five will make their Olympic debut in Paris. “These boys (young players) have won gold medal in the Asian Games and overcame the pressure to qualify for the Olympics, so they are capable of handling pressure. We have been playing with them for a long time and the coordination is good. We keep talking to each other and share our experiences,” said Lalit, who hails from Varanasi.

Lalit described mutual respect, bonding and unity as major strengths of the current team.

“During COVID we all stayed together for a long time at the SAI centre in Bengaluru, which gave us more opportunities to get to know each other. This strengthened the team bonding and helped us immensely to give Indian hockey a new lease of life by breaking the jinx in Tokyo.” The ancient city of Varanasi has given Indian hockey legends like late Mohammed Shahid, who has an indelible impact on Lalit’s life and career.

“There is a saying in our Banaras (Varanasi) that everything starts from here and ends here. When we also sit on the banks of Ganga, at one side there is Dashashwamedh Ghat (Ganga arti ghat) and on the other side there is Manikarnika Ghat (cremation ghat). We pray at one ghat and on the other one we pray for peace of departing souls,” he said.

“That’s why I am satisfied with whatever God has given me. I just hope this legacy of hockey remains intact and the flag of Indian hockey keeps flying high.”

Indian men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh is desperate to reclaim the gold medal in the upcoming Paris Olympics in his bid to give a fitting tribute to the country and stalwarts of the game. Eight-time Olympic champions India won an Olympic medal, a bronze, after 41 years in the Tokyo Olympics to revive the golden days of the sport in the country, and come 2024 Paris, the Harmanpreet-led side is chasing nothing less than a gold.

“We are giving our all to elevate our history and legacy. Winning the gold will be a tribute to India and our seniors,” the ace drag-flicker said in an exclusive feature on JioCinema’s ‘The Dreamers.’ Harmanpreet’s predecessor Manpreet Singh, under whose leadership India bagged the historic bronze in Tokyo, echoed similar sentiments.

“Seeing our flag on the right, I felt we could strive harder to place it at the centre next time, with our anthem playing. This marks the beginning of our renewed journey,” he said.

Veteran India goalkeeper PR Sreejesh highlighted the relentless drive and collective spirit of the team.

“Someone somewhere is training to beat you. That thought pushes me out of my comfort zone. Every time I train, I am driven by the desire not to disappoint the 1.4 billion people of our country.

“There was a time when Indian hockey relied on individual brilliance, but now we play as a cohesive unit, and that transformation has been key to our success on the international stage,” Sreejesh said.

India’s chief coach Craig Fulton broke down the team’s mentality, philosophy, and strategy, which helps them go toe-to-toe with some of the best sides in the world. “There isn’t a team that this Indian team hasn’t beaten. The question you could also be asking is — what do the other teams have to do to beat India? “The whole philosophy in my mind is to defend, to counter, and to win – having a team that can defend against the best teams in the world but then counterattack from anywhere. And that’s in the DNA of this Indian team,” the South African said.

File image of India Men’s Hockey Team.© X (Twitter)

An inconsistent Indian men’s hockey team lost 1-3 to hosts Great Britain in its second match of the London leg of the FIH Pro League here on Sunday, a day after the Harmanpreet-led side stun world champions Germany 3-0. Bandurak Nicholas scored a brace (2nd and 11th minute), both field goals, while Calnan Will struck the other goal for GBR in the 47th minute. Abhishek was the lone goal-scorer for India as he struck from a field effort in the 35th minute. India earned eight penalty corners but could not score any goal from them. GBR too couldn’t convert any of their five PCs.

India are ranked third in FIH chart, a rung above Britain.

Backed by a boisterous home crowd, Britain came up with a high-voltage performance backed by a pacy attack. They were quick to put India on the backfoot It was a fine counterattack that set-up Bandurak’s goal in the second minute, making India scurry to recover. Both teams used every opportunity to attack in the following minutes.

To add to India’s struggles, Bandurak scored again in the 11th minute. Only minutes earlier, India had won their first PC but couldn’t make much of the chance with Harmanpreet’s drag-flick missing the target.

Going into the second quarter with a 0-2 deficit, India’s search for an opening goal continued. They showed intent by controlling the possession while Hardik Singh and Mandeep made late charges in the circle. Abhishek too stood out in the forward line but they could come up with a successful pursuit on goal.

Coming into the third quarter after a 10-minute half time break, India looked for ways to halt Great Britain’s high-intensity game. Minutes into the third quarter, Hardik launched a counterattack to make a circle entry but no real chance came from it.

In the following minute, Abhishek finally brought some respite to the Indian side with a brilliant reverse-hit goal in the 35th minute. He did well with good stick work to receive the long pass from the midfield and found the target.

Carrying on the momentum, Abhishek helped India win a PC in the next minute. But Harmanpreet’s shot missed the target.

The following minutes saw India control the game while goalkeeper PR Sreejesh kept the goal deficit narrow with some fine saves. The final moments of an intense third quarter saw both teams trading PCs but neither could score.

However, Great Britain came up with a brilliant finish as they extended the lead in the 47th minute via Calnan.

Though India challenged the goal through a video referral, the third umpire ruled against the visiting side’s appeal. There were a couple of PCs awarded to India but none were successful.

India will play Germany on June 8 in their next match here.

Image for representative use© AFP