07 November,2025 10:02 AM IST | Mumbai | Ashwin Ferro
India’s captain Harmanpreet Singh. Pic/Getty Images
As Hockey India kicks off its nationwide World Cup Trophy Tour with its Centenary Celebrations that begin at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi on Friday, it's a reminder to skipper Harmanpreet Singh, 29, that this is the only medal that's missing from his trophy cabinet.
Indian hockey's legacy
"Indian hockey's legacy across 100 years is huge. Growing up, I was inspired by the great Olympic medal stories of the past [India won eight Olympic gold medals between 1928 and 1980, and a World Cup trophy in 1975]. I feel lucky and proud to be a part of this legacy. I never knew I would come this far and lead the Indian team. That's my biggest personal achievement, but as a team, we have won back-to-back Olympic medals [Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024], Asian Games gold, Asia Cup gold, Asian Champions Trophy gold. These are all great achievements, but now our sole aim is to win that World Cup [August 14 to 30, 2026 in Wavre, Belgium and Amstelveen, Netherlands] medal. It's the only one I don't have. If I can get that, my career will be complete," Harmanpreet told mid-day on Thursday.
Harmanpreet's heroes
There have been some absolute legends, who have donned the Indian jersey over the years, starting from the mercurial Dhyan Chand in the 1920s.
Skipper Harmanpreet has his favourites too. "PR Sreejesh will be my all-time favourite Indian hockey goalkeeper. We've had a lot of success together. Among defenders, for me, Yuvraj Singh has been the best because the passion with which he played was unmatchable. He was a brilliant drag-flicker and I learnt a lot from him. Among midfielders, it has to be Sardar Singh. His hockey intelligence was exemplary. Among forwards, I have more than one favourite. My first pick is Dhanraj Pillay. He was irrepressible. Then, the speedy Gagan Ajit was an inspiration too. In the current setup, Mandeep Singh is a very speedy and skilful forward," said Harmanpreet.
Speaking about the progress of Indian hockey over the years, Harmanpreet, who made his senior team debut in 2015, felt that the latest results clearly highlight a period of dominance that the Indian team has not seen in a long time. "Winning back-to-back Olympic medals was an unimaginable dream. In fact, when I began playing hockey, just winning an Olympic medal was the aim, but now we have two and are looking to change the colour of the medal to gold. That's because Indian hockey has progressed so much. In every big competition, we have a medal. After Indian hockey's initial success that began in the late 1920s and 30s, there have been many ups and downs. In the 1980s and 90s, there was this massive downward curve, where we didn't win too many medals. But currently our Olympic success and FIH rankings shows that we are a force to reckon with in modern hockey," explained Harmanpreet.
âYoungsters are hungry'
The future of the sport is in safe hands too, felt the hardworking skipper. "The current bunch of youngsters, who are entering the Indian team, are very energetic and hungry for success. They want to achieve more because they have come up from a good, competitive domestic feeder system like the Khelo India Games and the franchise-based Hockey India League. I have no doubt that the future of Indian hockey will be bright and even more successful than it currently is," Harmanpreet concluded.
The Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was formed on Nov 7, 1925 in Gwalior. IHF became a member of the International Hockey Federation in 1927, helping India make its Olympic debut in 1928 and win gold. After winning eight Olympic gold medals and a World Cup title (1975) by 1980, Indian hockey began to wane, as did the IHF, which was rocked by in-fighting and scandals over the next three decades. The IHF was suspended by the Indian Olympic Association in 2008, and Hockey India was formed in 2009.
