So crowded was India’s defensive third, the peak-hour Mumbai suburban railway station rush would’ve paled in comparison. In a tiny area on the right flank, near the 23m line in India’s half, nearly half a dozen German white shirts were hassling their opponents in blue, trying to snatch the ball from them and attack the goal. In such a tight space, the ball landed on the stick of Hardik Singh. In a millisecond, without even having to look up, Hardik launched an aerial ball that travelled more than 50m and landed straight on Lalit Upadhyay’s stick inside the German defence.
The breathtaking pass did not lead to a goal. But it was exactly the kind of inventiveness India lacked on Tuesday when they succumbed to a 1-4 defeat to Germany in the FIH Pro League. Less than 24 hours later, with Hardik back in the team — along with captain Harmanpreet Singh — India turned things around, keeping a clean sheet and beating the world champions 1-0.
The difference in the quality of India’s play — the control, the energy, creativity — a night apart was evident. Spain coach Max Caldas, speaking minutes before Wednesday’s push-back, was quick to point out the Indian captain and vice-captain’s impact on the gameplay. “The last game against Germany; no Harmanpreet, no Hardik and you feel that,” he had said.
On Tuesday, Harmanpreet and Hardik were rested as a ‘precautionary’ measure; the former had a wrist injury while the latter complained of a stiff shoulder. Sumit too has been missing due to a hamstring issue. India chief coach Craig Fulton, in a cryptic comment after Tuesday’s defeat, said that the ‘Hockey India League had taken its toll’ when asked about player absences.
Fulton didn’t elaborate. But it’s a warning sign. The hockey season is getting tighter and tighter, peppered with the Pro League matches, the continental championships and occasional bilaterals. The additional dozen or so matches that the HIL brings further add to a player’s workload and by the time the next season comes along, in January next year, the World Cup and the Asian Games will be just a few months away.
Hockey’s problem isn’t unique — badminton, football, and cricket all are battling a similar crisis. And Fulton with his sports science staff will have to find a solution to the increasing workload, for India can ill afford to lose its most influential outfield player.
Because while Hardik has been central to India’s fortunes on the field, he has also been injury-prone and forced to sit out for prolonged periods after almost all major competitions in the last two years. During the 2023 World Cup, he pulled his hamstring; after the Asian Games that year, he spent another 30-40 days working on it. Immediately after the Olympics last year, he was ruled out for months after a shoulder injury and there have been complaints of shoulder stiffness after the HIL.
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“It’s frustrating, really,” Hardik tells The Indian Express. “I am doing everything my body needs. If there are injuries even after that, it’s not in my hands I guess.” There’s an additional toll on the attacking midfielder’s body because of his style of play. As Caldas, formerly with the Netherlands, noted: “It doesn’t look like it but he runs a lot during games.”
Like on Wednesday, he’s always navigating through the traffic; seeing passes, making penetrative runs; joining the attack; bailing the defence and controlling the midfield. Fulton once said he makes the team ‘tick’. And his importance to India isn’t lost on the opponents.
“He’s a special, special player. Probably one of the best midfielders in the world,” says Englishman Sam Ward, joking that Hardik made him look ‘silly many many days in training (during HIL, both played for UP Rudras) with his dribbling skills’. Caldas calls him a game-changer. “As an opposition coach, you suffer him. But you love watching him play,” he says.
Fulton knows India ‘can’t rely on him all the time’. “He’s a human after all,” the coach had said in an earlier interview. But India will need a fit Hardik throughout the LA Olympics cycle. With the forward line likely to go through a transition in the coming few months and seniors like Manpreet Singh to assess their condition after next year’s Asian Games, Hardik could be one of the few remaining links from the back-to-back Olympic medal-winning campaigns.
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Hardik takes the praise that comes his way lightly — ‘it’s a team game,’ he insists — but is conscious of his increasing importance to the side. He stresses on getting the ‘details’ right — the post-match rehab. “After the game, I have a pool session, ice bath and stretching. Only if I focus on those details, I’ll be able to give my 100 per cent on the field,” he says.
Lifestyle changes, too, have been introduced. “I try sleeping on time, have stopped eating fried and outside food, eat more seeds and nuts and been keeping myself hydrated all the time,” he says. “These are the most boring things an athlete can do,” the 26-year-old laughs.
Not for a second, however, the thought of rationing the workload crosses his mind. “When I wear the India jersey, I don’t care if I am playing 30-40 matches (in a year),” he says. “That’s my life. Sach mein.”
