Hockey
Hardik Singh's rise from a ball boy to India's midfield maestro at Hockey World Cup
Hardik Singh with his brilliant runs has been the standout player for India in the two matches of the 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup.
Hardik Singh with his brilliant runs has been the standout player for India in the two matches the team has played so far in the 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup.
The 24-year-old from Khusropur scored a goal in India's first match against Spain with a solo run and posed regular threats to the English defence with his speed before having to limp out of the field due to an injury.
"It looked bad at first but I have gotten an update now and it does not look that bad, but we will wait for an official update," Indian coach Graham Reid said about his star player in the post match press conference.
As Indian fans mull with the thoughts of playing the remainder of the World Cup without Hardik Singh, did you know that the youngster was all set to leave the country to pursue his sporting ambitions overseas?
Yes, back in 2017 Hardik Singh had all but made his mind to leave India and fly to the Netherlands to play club hockey. Aged just 19 then, Singh's hockey career was yet to take flight as expected back then.
He was, however, convinced by his uncle and former India player Jugraj Singh to stay back in the country and continue working hard.
Hardik Singh obeyed what his uncle asked of him and even made it to the Indian team for the 2018 Hockey World Cup - just a year later, after having played just 10 matches before.
Today, he is an integral part of the Indian setup. He is known to produce magical moments under highest pressure. He had produced one such moment in India's quarterfinal win at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics over Great Britain too.
But, did you know before all of this Hardik Singh was a ball boy?
Yes, back in 2013 during the inaugural edition of the Hockey India League, Hardik Singh was in the sidelines as ball boy. He watched some of the biggest players in the world as a 15-year-old.
From a ball boy to the Indian national team midfield, Hardik Singh has come a long way in his career.
All we hope for now is for the Jalandhar lad to be fit and back in action at the 2023 Hockey World Cup.