Sukhjeet Singh, Indian Men's Hockey Team forward, considers it a great honor to have the chance to represent India at the upcoming 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 as it is his first multi-sport event. The young striker has only one goal in mind, helping India win the continental title to secure a direct berth to next year's Paris Olympics 2024.
India will open their campaign against Uzbekistan on September 24.
"It feels surreal that I will be representing India at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. I feel proud that I will be donning India's jersey at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Everyone in my family was elated to hear the news that I was part of the team. It was my father's dream to see me playing at the highest level, and I am here now. It's a feeling that I cannot express in words. It is all due to my sincere efforts and good wishes of my family members that I am here and representing India at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022." Sukhjeet, 26, said.
"The preparations have been going well under the guidance of Craig Fulton. We have been working on our weaknesses and making sure that we don't make the same mistakes again. I have been with the team for the last one and a half years and the senior players in the squad are very approachable and we can always reach out to them whenever any of us are facing any difficulty. They guide us properly and help us in improving our game. For me personally, I am working on improving my skills and shooting techniques," he added.
The winner of the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China will get a direct qualification for Paris. Indian Men's Hockey Team will open their 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 campaign against Uzbekistan on 24 September 2023 to earn a direct Paris Olympics 2024 qualification.
Speaking about representing the country at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 and facing quality teams, the forward said in a Hockey India release.,"Our aim is only on the Gold Medal. We know what is at stake here and we will not be taking anything for granted. There are some strong teams and we cannot let our guard down in any of the matches. We have to treat each match as Final and give our everything each time we are on the field."
"After winning the Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, the confidence is high among the players and I hope that we can continue this momentum going into the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. Before the Asian Champions Trophy Chennai 2023, we also played the 4 Nations Tournament in Terrassa against teams like the Netherlands, England, and Spain. That will certainly help us," he added.
Sukhjeet credits his success in hockey to his father, who has stood with him through thick and thin. He recalls, "I remember I was only five or six years old when my father gave me the hockey stick. My father struggled a lot when he was playing and he didn't want me to face any issues which he faced. He always believed in me and kept on motivating me. He used to take me to the ground for my training after his shift used to get over. He has sacrificed a lot for me and I cannot thank him enough. He will always be my role model."
The flamboyant forward player started playing hockey when he was six after his father Ajit Singh, a former hockey player for Punjab Police, motivated him to pick up the stick. Sukhjeet got his maiden call-up for the Senior National camp in 2018, but couldn't secure his place after sustaining a back injury. He made a comeback to the National set-up in 2021 and went on to make his Senior team debut at the FIH Hockey Pro League in the 2021-2022 season. So far, Sukhjeet Singh has 43 international caps and 13 goals to his name.
Hockey India League Auction Starts Today With Over 1,000 Players; Here are the Details
Hockey India League auction kicks off today with 1,000+ players, including legends across men's and women's teams. Here are all the details you need to know.
The most anticipated Hockey India League auction will start today, October 13th, at New Delhi and will continue till October 15th. More than 1,000 players have registered for the auction. This includes more than 400 domestic players. and over 150 international players. Apart from the playing hockey players in India, retired stalwarts like Rupinder Pal Singh and Birendra Lakra.
The women's league has more than 250 domestic players and 70+ overseas players registered for the tournament.
Earlier, Hockey India had already mentioned the limited venues assigned for the tournament. These are: Marang Gomke Jaipal Singh Astroturf Hockey Stadium in Ranchi, Jharkhand, and Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium in Rourkela, Odisha. Ranchi will host all the women's matches while the men's matches will take place in Rourkela.
Irespective of the men's and women's teams, each team can have a maximum of 24 players. Each team cannot bag more than 8 overseas players and should have 24 indigenous players that include at least 4 juniors.
How many teams will play the tournament?
The men's league will play 8 teams this year. The inaugural women's league will play 6 teams. The franchises that have confirmed their investment are:
Charles Group,
Yadu Sports,
JSW Sports,
Shrachi Sports,
SG Sports and Entertainment,
Vedanta Limited,
Resolute Sports,
Navoyam Sports Ventures Private Limited
Purse details:
Each of the eight men's team will have a budget of 4 crores, while the women's tean will have 2 crore for the procedure.
As per the auction procedure, there is no upper limit of expenditure on a particular player, but accumulating the required number of players must be done within the purse.
Base price:
Three categories have been induced according to the ranks of each player: Rs 2 lakh (for juniors), Rs 5 lakh, and Rs 10 lakh.
Where to watch the auction?
Hockey India League has initiated their own Hockey India League Youtube channel where they will live stream the entire lauction procedure.
Other than that, DD Sports will broadcast the auction live, from Sunday.
On the first day, ie, 13th October, the auction will start from 2 pm. On the next two days, the auction procedure will commence on and from 9:30 am. in the morning.
Hockey India names 40-member Indian Men's Hockey Team squad for the upcoming test series against Germany
The Indian Men's Hockey Team won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 and retained the title at the Asian Champions Trophy in China. The team will head into this camp following these recent successes.
Hockey India, on Tuesday has selected 40 probable players for the coaching camp of the Indian Men's Hockey Team in Bengaluru in preparation for the two-match series against world champions Germany here later this month.
Two matches will be played against Germany on the 23rd and 24th October at Major Dhyanchand National Stadium. The camp will run from October 1 to 19. The focus of the camp will be on honing the skills of the players and developing strategies during matches.
The Indian Men's Hockey Team won the bronze medal at the Paris Olympics 2024 and retained the title at the Asian Champions Trophy in China. The team will head into this camp following these recent successes.
'This camp will allow us to improve our strategies'
India captain Harmanpreet Singh said the camp will help in ensuring that the team is well-prepared and in peak condition before facing Germany. "Playing against the world champions is a tremendous opportunity for us to showcase our abilities, and having an exciting mix of players in this camp will allow us to improve our strategies and build the cohesion needed,"
"Each player in this core group brings unique strengths and varying levels of experience and we'll be focusing on how to harness these individual talents and help us grow as players. Our objective is to create an environment where everyone pushes each other and by the end of this camp, we want to be an even stronger and better coordinated team." Harmanpreet added.
Indian hockey players Varun Kumar and Karthi Selvam will return to the national camp.
Yo-Yo Test: Hardik Singh’s Revelation Sparks Debate Between Fitness of Cricketers and Hockey Players
In a recent podcast, Hardik Singh, Indian men's Hockey Vice-Captain claimed hockey players have more Yo-Yo Test scores than cricketers. This article has an overview of the test, as a whole.
Hardik Singh's statements that Indian hockey players are "scoring more" in the Yo-Yo Test routinely, even compared to cricketers, had been a surprise factor for many sports fans. Players in the game of hockey regularly exceed 23 on the Yo-Yo Test, he said and even the fittest cricketers like Virat Kohli stopped at about 17 to 18, Singh added.
Not only that, the jaw dropped when Hardik claimed that the junior women's hockey team's Yo-Yo test scores are equal to that of Kohli's. This sparked questions. So what is this Yo-Yo Test, and why is everybody, especially cricketers, making so much hoo-hah about it along with the Hockey team?
The Yo-Yo Test: From Danish Soccer Fields to Indian Cricket Camps
The Yo-Yo Test isn't just a quirky name. In the early 1990s, Danish soccer physiologist Jens Bangsbo first introduced the 3200-meter test as a measure of fitness evolution. The term yo-yo originates from the way that a yo-yo is testing, back-and-forth.
The Bangsbo test replicated the activity pattern of soccer. This includes short bursts of high-intensity activity interspersed with brief recovery periods. And thus, it became soccer-friendly within days. It then quickly spread amongst athletes from sports such as basketball, tennis, and even handball. All these games require sprints followed by short rest periods.
It was a breakthrough test. It includes moving from the previous steady aerobic fitness tests like the 12-minute run that did not reflect the stop-start nature of these sports. This Test just replicated the realities—having to accelerate and stop quickly or run hard for a short period followed by an intense recovery.
The Indian Cricket Connection: Enters Shankar Basu
Young Virat Kohli with "Basu Sir"
The Yo-Yo Test gained popularity in European soccer. Later, it emigrated to the courts of other team sports. The Indian Cricket team took a long time.
In 2017, thanks to the strength and conditioning coach Shankar Basu, who implemented the Yo-Yo test as the ultimate bar to ensure fitness. The aim was to guarantee players could cope with the demands of modern cricket. The test was the right fit for it, as cricket these days demands explosive sprints between the wickets and rapid fielding movements.
As a result, the test became a requirement for selection into the Indian cricket team. Players had to achieve a minimum score of 16.1. Only those who met this standard were deemed fit for national duty. Suresh Raina, failing to reach the mark in 2017, was left out of the team. Virat Kohli, known for his dedication to fitness, achieved a remarkable score of 17.2 in 2023.
However, Hardik Singh pointed out that this score would barely make a dent in the hockey world.
Cricket vs Hockey: Why the Yo-Yo Test Favors Hockey Players
So, why do hockey players like Hardik Singh say that their scores are far superior to those of cricketers? The nature of hockey requires players to maintain a high level of intensity throughout the game. However, cricket requires athletes to engage in short, intermittent sprints.
In hockey, players are in a constant transition between offence and defence. They are continuously racing up and down the field and quickly recovering. Hockey is a sport that doesn't ensure ball possession to a particular player but demands him/her to be in action throughout.
This type of movement closely resembles and suits the test. Thus it rightly explains why athletes from more physically demanding sports like hockey can achieve impressive Yo-Yo Test scores, sometimes reaching as high as 23.
Hardik’s teammate, PR Sreejesh, the experienced goalkeeper, managed to score an impressive 21 on the test. Funny enough, this guy needs to just move and dive within the 20-meter mark and nothing else!
Graphical representation of Yo Yo Test. Graphic courtesy- ESPN
The test requires athletes to run back and forth between two cones that are 20 meters apart. It may sound easy, but it’s not. Athletes need to reach the cone before the beep. And as they progress through each level, the beeps come more quickly.
This means they have to run faster and faster. After each sprint, they get a brief recovery period of 5 to 10 seconds before the next sprint begins. The test starts at a relatively slow pace, but soon athletes find themselves sprinting at full speed, struggling to catch their breath as the pace becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.
Courtesy: ESPN
The test concludes when an athlete can no longer reach the cone before the beep. Their score reflects how many levels and shuttles (round trips) they can complete before they have to stop.
Aerobic and Anaerobic Fitness
The Yo-Yo Test is necessary due to its ability to assess both aerobic and anaerobic fitness. Aerobic fitness deals with how effectively the body is utilizing oxygen over extended periods. Anaerobic fitness, on the other hand, focuses on your performance during short, intense efforts when oxygen isn't readily available.
In sports such as hockey, soccer, and basketball, athletes rely on both types of fitness to maintain high performance throughout the game. However, cricket involves a short and sudden burst of intense activity. It may be a dive at the slip, a one-handed catch, or diving to save the wicket. This is the reason cricket limits itself to the basic level of the test.
The Four Versions of the Test
The test, however, is not limited to just one type. There are four different types of this test, designed for different levels of fitness. Here, the types are mentioned.
Recovery Level 1 (Yo-Yo IR1): This is the most common version, focusing on an athlete’s aerobic endurance.
Recovery Level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2): A tougher version of IR1, focusing more on anaerobic recovery.
Endurance Level 1 (Yo-Yo IE1): This version is used for sports that require lower intensity over a longer period.
Endurance Level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2): A more intense version of IE1 for athletes who need to perform at a high level for an extended time.
The cricketers use the Yo-Yo IR1 test. However, the Hockey players juggle between IR1 and the tougher version, IR2.
Beyond Fitness
This test is not just a medium to gain fitness. This ensures better stamina with better healing capabilities.
Apparently, it sounds like this enhances the on-field performances. But it has underlying positives. It helps the athletes to improve not just their stamina but also their ability to recover quickly between bursts of activity. As Hardik Singh mentions, hockey players must preserve peak fitness levels because their sport demands constant movement, high stamina, and swift bursts of speed.
A score that looks like a number has a huge amount of resilience and grip underneath it. Every time it feels like running out of breath, it seems like a continuous duel between the mind and the body. The mind pushes an exhausted body to be a better one.
Cricket, even though it is the most popular sport so far, doesn't need continuous body movements, unlike Hockey. Undoubtedly, the second one deserves more physical activities.
When it looks like a "choice" for sports like cricket, it's a necessity for fast-paced games like hockey!
In the end, it's just a question asked to the fans out there: is it high time to not use the term "fittest athlete" for someone for just being popular?
Nevertheless, with a fanbase that ignores the Olympic bronze medalist and puts more emphasis on a mere influencer who has as few contributions, one can't expect more!
Asian Champions Trophy 2024: India bags their 5th title after defeating China 1-0
When no one was able to score any goal from both the teams, Jugraj Singh did wonders and scored a goal for India. Because of this goal, the Indian team was successful in winning the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 title.
In this match, initially, no one was able to score any goal from both the teams. Then just a few minutes before the end of the match, Jugraj Singh did wonders and scored a goal for India. Because of this goal, the Indian team was successful in winning the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 title. India had won the Asian Champions Trophy title for the fifth time. China had made it to the finals for the first time and had already lost in the first round.
Players from both the teams failed to score goals in the first quarter. India created chances to score goals, but the team was not successful to do it. They also got a penalty corner but the team could not capitalize on it.
There was no goal scored by both the teams in the second quarter as well. In this quarter, China's defense performed well and kept the Indian players in check. In the third quarter, China made several attacks to score, but they failed to reach Indian goalkeeper Krishna Pathak.
Jugraj Singh scored a powerful goal
No goals were scored between the two teams till the third quarter. In such a situation, it seemed that the match would go to penalty shootout. But after this, Jugraj Singh scored an excellent field goal and gave the team a 1-0 lead in the match. This increased the hopes of the Indian hockey team to win. After this, India did not give any chance to China to score a goal. Jugraj's goal in the final proved important in the team winning the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 trophy.
The Indian hockey team has performed amazingly in the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 and has not lost a single match till the final. The team had defeated South Korea 4-1 in the semi-finals. Harmanpreet Singh (C), Uttam Singh, and Jarmanpreet Singh had scored goals against the Korean team.
This is India's fifth Asian Champions Trophy title. Earlier, India had won the trophy in 2011, 2016, 2018 (joint winners with Pakistan) and 2023. Harmanpreet Singh has received the Player of the Tournament award for his strong performance throughout the tournament.
Hockey India announces 33-member core probable squad for National Women's Coaching Camp ahead of Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024
The camp will be the beginning of the team's preparation for the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 to be played at the newly constructed Rajgir Stadium in Bihar from 11 to 20 November.
Hockey India on Saturday announced the 33-member Indian women's hockey team for the national coaching camp to be held from September 15 to October 9. This camp will be held at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) campus in Bengaluru.
The camp will be the beginning of the team's preparation for the Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2024 to be played at the newly constructed Rajgir Stadium in Bihar from 11 to 20 November. This prestigious tournament, a joint initiative between Hockey India and the Bihar Government.
India last played in FIH Hockey Pro League
The Indian Women's Hockey Team last participated in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 season in which they faced teams like Argentina, Belgium, Germany and Britain. Under the leadership of captain Salima Tete and vice-captain Navneet Kaur and the guidance of Harendra Singh, the team had performed brilliantly throughout the tournament.
The Indian Women's Hockey squad shortlisted for the camp includes goalkeepers Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, and Madhuri Kindo. The defenders selected are Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Monika, Ropni Kumari, Mahima Choudhary, Jyoti Chhatri, and Preeti.
In the midfield, the team features Salima Tete, Marina Lalramnghaki, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Neha, Jyoti, Edula Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur, Manisha Chauhan, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, and Ajmina Kujur. Also, the forward line includes Sunelita Toppo, Mumtaz Khan, Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur, Deepika Soreng, Preeti Dubey, Vandana Katariya, and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal.
'This camp will allow us to refine our strategies'
Indian Women's Hockey Team head coach, Harendra Singh said, "The upcoming National Women’s Coaching Camp is a crucial step in our preparations for the Women's Asian Champions Trophy. This camp will allow us to refine our strategies, work on specific areas that need improvement, and build on the strengths we displayed during the FIH Pro League. With the Asian Champions Trophy being held in Rajgir for the first time, it is a unique opportunity for our team to perform at their best on home soil. We are focused on enhancing our skills, fitness, and teamwork, and this camp will lay the foundation for a successful tournament."
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