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| Human Interest | |
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Further Personal Information | |
| Residence | Chandigarh, IND |
General Interest | |
| Superstitions / Rituals / Beliefs | He watches videos of footballers Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona before a tournament for inspiration. "I love the way they go past the other team, as if there's no-one in the way. Even when they don't score, they draw so many defenders to themselves that the rest of the team is free to score." (indianexpress.com, 12 Feb 2012) |
| Famous relatives | His older brother Didar has also represented India in hockey. (indianexpress.com, 12 Feb 2012) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Why this sport? | Hockey was a popular sport where he grew up. "Nobody in my village played anything else". |
General Interest | |
| Hero / Idol | Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, India cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, Argentina footballers Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. (Athlete, 12 Sep 2014) |
| Awards and honours | In 2015 he was awarded the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, and in 2012 he received the Arjuna Award for outstanding achievements in hockey. (sportskeeda.com, 05 Oct 2012; pib.nic.in, 25 Jan 2015) He carried India's flag at the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Republic of Korea. (Twitter profile, 19 Sep 2014; Incheon INFO, 19 Sep 2014) He received the Player of the Tournament award for the 2013 Hockey India League, the 2012 Olympic Qualification Tournament in Delhi, India, the 2010 and 2012 Sultan Azlan Shah Cups in Malaysia, and the 2009 Champions Challenge in Salta, Argentina. (iosindia.com, 25 Feb 2012; jagranjosh.com, 04 Jun 2012; thehindu.com, 11 Feb 2013; sardarsingh.com, 07 Apr 2013; hockeyindia.org, 2014) He was named as the Asian Hockey Federation's Player of the Year for 2011. (hockeyindia.org, 05 Mar 2013) He was selected in the International Hockey Federation [FIH] All-Star team in 2010 and 2011. (fih.ch, 23 Dec 2011) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Name of coach | Roelant Oltmans [national], NED |
| Preferred position / style / stance / technique | Midfielder |
| Handedness | Right |
International Debut | |
| Year | 2006 |
| Competing for | India |
Further Personal Information | |
| Occupation | Athlete, Police Officer |
| Languages | English, Hindi, Punjabi |
General Interest | |
| Sporting philosophy / motto | "Love hockey." (Athlete, 12 Sep 2014) |
| Other information | WARRIORS He captained the Jaypee Punjab Warriors to victory in the 2016 edition of professional Hockey India League [HIL] with a 6-1 win over the Kalinga Lancers in the final. (hockeyindia.altiusrt.com, 16 Feb 2016) CAPTAIN He captained India to gold at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Republic of Korea. It was India's first Asian Games hockey title since 1998. (ibnlive.in.com, 18 Sep 2014) SUSPENSION In August 2011 he and teammate Sandeep Singh were banned for two years by Hockey India after they left the national team's training camp in Bangalore ahead of the Asian Champions Trophy. The pair appealed against ban and the suspension was lifted in September 2011 after they agreed to apologise for their actions. (intoday.in, 21 Sep 2011) EARLY DAYS As a child he and his friends walked two kilometres on unlit roads in order to play hockey. Later, he joined the Namdhari Academy in India in order to pursue his hockey career, but found it difficult to adapt to the schedule. "We had to get up at 04:00, even in winter, and be at the ground at 05:00. I left the academy since I hated getting up so early." His parents asked him what he wanted to do in life, and he changed his mind and returned to the academy. "A group of six or seven kids left the academy. They are still in the village doing nothing. Had I not gone back and got up at 04:00 every morning, I too would have been just another villager." When he won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, he decided to put some of his prize money towards putting lights up on the unlit roads he had to walk in the earliest days of his career. (indiatimes.com, 15 Feb 2014; livemint.com, 18 Jun 2014) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| Club / Team | Haryana Police: India |
General Interest | |
| Hobbies | Listening to music, football, cars, motorcycles. (financialexpress.com, 04 Mar 2012; timesofindia.indiatimes.com, 15 Feb 2014) |
| Memorable sporting achievement | Being named in the International Hockey Federation [FIH] All-Star team in 2010 and 2011, and receiving the Arjuna Award in 2012. (indiatimes.com, 15 Feb 2014; Athlete, 12 Sep 2014) |
| Ambitions | To win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. (rio2016.com, 12 Mar 2015) |
Sport Specific Information | |
| When and where did you begin this sport? | He took up hockey at age 13 in the village of Sant Nagar, India. |
International Debut | |
| Opponent | Pakistan |
General Interest | |
| Most influential person in career | His family and friends. (Athlete, 12 Sep 2014) |