Sukhjeet Singh wants a permanent place in the Indian men’s hockey team
One of the stars of the recent tie with Spain in the FIH Pro League, Sukhjeet Singh suffered a great number of challenges before joining the international team. This determined lad from Jalandhar didn’t lose hope when he suffered a terrible back injury and was bedridden for almost 5 months, and thereafter took a total of 4 years to recover completely.
Punjab Hockey Fertile GroundA career-threatening comeback from a back injury
He admitted that there were times when he would feel lost and lose all hope of ever finding his way back to the Indian team but his family always stood by him and believed that he was meant to play for India someday.
He said, "Whenever I felt like I was losing hope of making a comeback in hockey, my family and friends stood by me to support me and motivate me.
"They always believed I had it in me to make India cut someday."
This new face was seen for the first time in the recent two-legged tie between India and Spain at the Kalinga stadium. He has been playing hockey since he was only a few years old. Being born to a father who played hockey for Punjab Police, Sukhjeet didn't make any delay in picking up the stick.
Sukhjeet Singh first got a chance to come to the national senior camp in 2018,however due to his serious back injury, he lost that opportunity. Despite the loss of this incredible opportunity and a serious injury that left him completely bedridden for 5 months, Sukhjeet Singh did not lose hope.
After recovery, he practiced, gained back his strength, and came back even stronger.
Sukhjeet Singh: Now in the senior team
After making his international debut in the recent tie with Spain, Sukhjeet Singh is committed to playing with the team in major tournaments like Commonwealth, Asian Games, and others. Sukhjeet Singh revealed that he was extremely excited and curious about a lot of things when he first came to the national camp.
He pestered Mandeep Singh, the captain, with every little detail, and Mandeep Singh and the other senior players were helpful and accommodating.
He said, "When I came into the camp earlier this year, I had to work on understanding the structure of how the Senior team play'sand I would often eat Mandeep and Lalit's brains. I would ask them questions about the structure the forward line maintains and they were very helpful in getting me up to speed.
"It feels great that I got a chance to play for India and I look forward to making this opportunity count."
Sukhjeet Singh scored an important goal (51st) in his very first international match and left all jaws dropped.
Though India ended up losing the second game against Spain, Sukhjeet Singh showed everyone what a valuable player he can be for the Indian team.