HT Brunch Cover Story: Smells like team spirit

Five members of the Olympic-winning Indian national field hockey squad explain how a closely bonded team will always bring honour home

For the five players of India’s national field hockey squad representing the team for the HT Brunch cover, very little about the interview and shoot is different from how they usually work and play.

(Clockwise from left,top) PR Sreejesh, Hardik Singh , Harmanpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, and Manpreet Singh, this is the team that is currently preparing for the Commonwealth Games that will begin in Birmingham, UK, on July 28, not to mention the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023, and the Paris Olympics in 2024; Styled by Prasad Bidapa; Hair & make-up by Gargi Karmakar; Wardrobe by Albert Devraj; Coordinated by Naga; Pop art suits by Suneet Varma

Manpreet Singh: The current captain of the Indian men’s hockey team made his international debut in 2011 at the age of 19 and became captain in 2017. He was conferred the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021; All solo shots, black T-shirts, accessories and shoes by Prasad Bidapa (Kiran Aditya)

The rest of it—the camaraderie between the five team members as they ham it up for the shoot at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bangalore where they stay and train—is as natural as everyday life for them. Because this is a team in which each member is bonded to the other for life.

Hardik (right) says, “Sreejesh sir and Manpreet have played an important role in improving our world ranking from number 12 to number 3” (Kiran Aditya)

This is the team that beat Germany at Tokyo in 2021, bringing home the first field hockey Olympics medal that the country had seen in 41 years.

PR Sreejesh: Sreejesh made his debut for the senior national team in 2006 at the South Asian Games in Sri Lanka and has been an integral part of the national team since 2011, leading the team as its captain in 2016. He has been conferred with the Padma Shri in 2017, the Arjuna Award in 2015, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award in 2021, and was the first male athlete from India to win the World Games Athlete of the Year 2021 Award. (Kiran Aditya)

The tease that binds

The team that is currently preparing for the Commonwealth Games that will begin in Birmingham, UK, on July 28, not to mention the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023, and the Paris Olympics in 2024; Outfits by Suneet Varma (Kiran Aditya)

“After our families, our colleagues are the closest to us and are just like a second family,” says Harmanpreet. “Since all of us stay together at the SAI campus, we are quite close to each other, sharing our happiness and sorrows with each other.”

Vivek Sagar Prasad: When he joined the team in 2018, he was the second-youngest player ever to debut for India at 17 years, 10 months and 22 days. In 2019, he was named the best youngest player, and later that year he won the 2019 FIH Men’s Rising Star of the Year award.   (Kiran Aditya)

“They may seem very sober and serious, but they are the leaders of fun,” says Hardik. “For example, we are not allowed to carry our phones with us while we train, nor are we supposed to forget our water bottles. If any of us has done one or the other of these things, we are made to dance or sing or perform in some other way to atone for our lack of discipline! Despite being our seniors, they never let us feel unheard or uninvolved, which creates a great environment for the team.”

The players pick

According to Hardik, there is no question of any team member being too nervous to talk to his seniors regarding issues related to performance anxiety or anything else. “Sreejesh sir and Manpreet have played an important role in improving this team’s world ranking from number 12 to the current number 3 over the last 10 years. So, whenever we have any doubts about our performance, we discuss it with them. They help clear our doubts and guide us in the right direction,” he says.

Manpreet (right) says, “When it comes to eating, none of us indulge in sugar or junk. But when we are allowed to step out, we love to explore good places to hang out. Otherwise, most of us can be found glued to our PlayStation or watching some OTT series” (Kiran Aditya)

For Manpreet, 30, guiding team members is part of his duty and responsibility as team captain.

Harmanpreet Singh: Harmanpreet was the vice-captain of the team at the Tokyo Olympics. He was named the Federation of International Hockey’s (FIH) Men’s Player of the Year 2021, and also conferred with the Arjuna Award the same year. He joined the national team in 2015 and is a product of the famous Surjit Singh Academy. (Kiran Aditya)

“This has become so common now, that whenever we can’t find our shoes or slippers or anything else, we just go straight to Manpreet and ask for our stuff back,” laughs Sreejesh.

PR Sreejesh (left) says, “Instead of going out for parties and dinners, we order food on campus and have a pool party. These things help us to relax and feel good together.” (Kiran Aditya)

 “We were not allowed to come out of our rooms which was very difficult,” recalls Vivek. “After a point, we got bored watching movies or playing games on our phones. We wanted to interact with each other and have fun the way we did earlier.”

The players say the lockdown forced the players to change the way they relaxed and bonded after training and tournaments, and those changes remained after India unlocked (Kiran Aditya)

We faced the struggles as one unit, and had just one goal in mind: to win an Olympic medal,” he continues. “That single goal kept us motivated and now we are working on improving the colour of the medal in the Paris Olympics 2024 and finishing on the podium at the Odisha Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023.”

Hardik Singh: Hardik Singh has hockey in his genes—his father, his uncle and his aunt, have all been hockey players of repute. A regular with the Indian team as a midfielder since 2018, Hardik has been instrumental in several major victories including the historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics where he scored two crucial goals. (Kiran Aditya)

“Instead of going out for parties or dinners, we order food here in the campus and create a pool party kind of atmosphere since we have a swimming pool. We also create our own movie nights by putting a projector in someone’s room. These things help us to relax and feel good together,” reveals Sreejesh.

Prasad Bidapa

The stylist for this cover story is Prasad Bidapa, an iconic fashion consultant, choreographer and image consultant