Harmanpreet’s redemption arc from WC low to Olympic bronze

January 22, 2023. Harmanpreet Singh cut a sorry figure facing a hall full of journalists hungry for answers after India’s debacle at the World Cup. India had lost 3-3 (4-5) to New Zealand in the crossover match despite leading 3-1 at one stage to end the showpiece at joint ninth – the worst finish by a host nation at the World Cup.
At the centre of the exit was the India skipper, who had scored just once in four games and was blamed for the loss. His eyes moist, Harmanpreet kept looking at the table as he answered prickly questions directed at him. “I know everyone is talking about me not scoring enough. I also wanted to. I tried, but it didn’t happen,” Harmanpreet had said then.
A very confident man, Harmanpreet wasn’t bogged down. Instead, he took the blame and loss in his stride. He returned to the national camp in Bengaluru and started spending extra hours with assistant coach Shivendra Singh post practice to better his conversion rate against the likes of PR Sreejesh and his deputy Krishan Bahadur Pathak.
“I have known him for the last 15 years. I have seen him grow up playing in the Hockey India League, Indian junior team and as an India teammate. He has improved immensely. The one thing that makes him standout is his mental toughness, he is very strong at that,” says Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Rupinder Pal Singh.
Harmanpreet returned at the 2023 Asian Champions Trophy to guide India to gold, ending up as the tournament’s highest scorer with nine goals. His 13 goals – second highest of the event – helped India claim gold at the 2023 Asian Games which also earned India the direct ticket to Paris.
The penalty corner (PC) specialist also ended up as the highest scorer of the 2022-23 Pro League with 18 goals and was the second highest scorer in the 2023-24 edition with 12. The India skipper improved his scoring prowess, ending 2022 and 2023 as the top scorer in the world with 38 and 42 goals respectively and leads this season with 26.
But there is a big difference in scoring in the Pro League and at the Olympics. It is at these major events that teams unveil their real hand, manifested from what happened at the 2023 World Cup.
In Odisha, opposition teams knew that Harmanpreet would be India’s go to man during PCs. They had planned for it and were easily able to choke him, not giving him any room, resulting in one of the prime reasons for India’s early exit.
But India chief coach Craig Fulton and Harmanpreet had planned a counter this time around in Paris. The plan had been laid out to the forwards by Fulton – enter the circle, try for a goal, if not, get a PC and let Harmanpreet do the job. The result was that India scored 15 goals in their eight matches in Paris with the Jandiala Guru resident scoring an incredible 10 of them. Barring one match against Belgium, the India skipper sounded the board in every game.
The Indian think tank knew that like the World Cup, rival rushers will be going straight for India’s primary drag-flicker. With the lack of another world-class flicker, India had no choice, but they were ready.
He had a plan for each opposition. Against Spain for example, he had noticed in the Pro League that goalkeeper Luiz Calzado had a tendency of staying in the centre with two defenders guarding the posts. Harmanpreet exploited the same as he shot two grounded bullets, first on the left through the legs of the defender, and the second to the right, out of Calzado’s range and enough to secure a second successive bronze medal at the Olympics.
“Harmanpreet is a very cool-headed player, one that is very difficult to find who can play under any situation,” says Harendra Singh, former India head coach and current chief coach of Indian women’s team.
Harendra is credited for bringing Harmanpreet into the national setup when he was the junior national coach under whom India won the 2016 Junior World Cup in Lucknow.
“Harmanpreet’s biggest plus point is that he has both muscular as well as emotional control. He analyses and doesn’t overreact whatever the circumstance. Be it an empty stadium or full, he plays the same,” added Harendra.
In Rio 2016, Harmanpreet went goalless in six matches. In Tokyo 2021, he was India’s highest scorer with six. This time around with 10 goals, Harmanpreet ended up as the highest scorer of the tournament.
“Harmanpreet plays the ball with peripheral vision. The best thing about him is he knows how to handle a tackle. That is where decision making comes in. Either he converts it into a goal or knows how to take the ball out from a pressure situation.”
Like January 2023, Harmanpreet had moist eyes again on Thursday. But the emotion was different. Despair had given way to joy. Tears had given way to delight. More importantly, failure had given way to redemption.