MANDEEP SINGH
Born January 25, 1995 in Mithapur village of Jalandhar, Punjab.
Mandeep Singh plays as a forward in the Indian line up.
He got involved with the sport at age five impressed by his brother playing the game. He honed his skills at and later also represented the renowned Surjit Hockey Academy, which is also based in Jalandhar.
After a stellar performance in 2013 at the Hockey India League, he was called to the senior national squad in 2013 for the second round of the Hockey World League 2012-2014. Mandeep’s passionate involvement with hockey can be gauged from the fact that he was part of the hockey team that played the 2013 Junior World Cup as well a part of the team for the 2016 Junior World Cup. A gifted talent, his imminent progression to the senior side and him being its mainstay was a foregone conclusion especially after India’s victory at the Junior World Cup, 2016, hosted in India.
He scored his first international Goal on 20th February 2013 against Oman.
Merely 19 years old, Mandeep hogged the country’s cheers and Hockey world’s attention with his gasping display. His brilliant hat-trick jolted Germany as India pulled off an upset win (5-4) over the then Olympic champions at the Hockey World League Final, 2014.
At the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, 2017 Japan had India in disarray with the scoreboard heavily in their favor. It was upto the young Mandeep to restore our parity and pride as he pumped in three goals for a hat-trick that saved India the blushes and the team scampered home winning by a 4-3 margin.
It is Mandeep’s ability to produce penalty corners for India, score goals from difficult angles to the goal post, and his pluck n flair as a forward that makes him a goal-scoring anchor for the team. Even when the rival defenders have rest assured themselves that Mandeep is marked, yet his deftness in deflection, silky touch can produce that strike in a moment where not only the rivals find themselves off-guard but the goalkeeper is left too stunned with the goal carved by Mandeep in the thick of the action
During India’s outing at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games, 2018 Mandeep completed 100 international caps representing India and as on October 01, 2019 he has completed 150 international caps for India.
Though of late, he has endured an indifferent form in big-ticket tournaments especially at the business end. Like, though he scored nine goals at Asian Games 2018 till the group stage, he couldn’t manage a single goal in the knock out rounds, at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games his tally was just two goals in India’s outing at the games as the team ended its journey losing the bronze medal playoff to England. At the 2019 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup he was the joint Highest Scorer but failed to score in the final which India ultimately lost on penalties to South Korea. It was again in the back-drop of India’s 7-3 romp over Canada in the same tournament that Mandeep struck a hat-trick.
He was also the top scorer at the Olympic Test event, 2019 in Japan where India overwhelmed hosts Japan 6-3 with Mandeep walloping another hat-trick.
In an interview to ANI News Mandeep Singh averred “If we keep on winning medals for the country, the game itself will resonate with the youth and people will get attracted towards the sport. If people say cricket gets the support, I will add that hockey is also getting the support. If we keep on winning medals, the sport will attract people towards it,” he went on to add.
Ever since his inclusion the Indian side has had a fortuitous change in fortunes and Mandeep has been a vital part of some of its best performances:
Gold at the Junior Asia Cup, 2013 in Kuantan
Silver at 2013 Asia Cup, in Ipoh
Silver at the 2016 Champions Trophy in London
Gold at the Junior World Cup, 2016 in Lucknow
Bronze at the 2016-17 World Hockey League, in Bhubneshwar
Bronze at 2018 Asian Games, in Jakarta
Silver at the 2018 Champions Trophy in Breda, Netherlands
Gold at the Asian Champions Trophy, 2018 in Muscat
Watch how Mandeep Singh boomed his famous three goals into the German goal post enabling India to upset the then Olympic Champions at the Hockey World League Final, 2014.
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