Mandeep Singh is a artful operator on the pitch however off it, he turns into one of many easiest characters of the Indian hockey workforce. He nearly at all times wears a quintessential smile that places everybody round him comfortable. However, his pleasant nature hides how deadly the 28-year-old turns into as soon as his ft contact the turf with the stick in his hand.
PREMIUM Mandeep Singh’s adaptability, capacity to articulate and willingness to be taught makes him stand out.
His coaches understand it too and that’s the reason a succession of them, from Michael Nobbs – India coach when Mandeep debuted in 2013 as an 18-year-old – to present chief coach Craig Fulton, have at all times picked him for his or her groups. In an period the place Hockey India (HI) recurrently performed musical chairs with coaches, Mandeep has been the one fixed within the ahead line in main tournaments over the past six years.
His adaptability, capacity to articulate and willingness to be taught makes him stand out.
“I am a real big fan of Mandeep,” said Fulton. “He is a fantastic player, a great teammate, good leader and at the same time, scores goals. He is fit and strong to press forward. Playing as a centre forward for India is not an easy job and he has done it for a long time. Hence, he understands the mental side too. He understands himself and adds a lot of value. He is playing like a young Mandeep again… which is great to see.”
Unlike characters like PR Sreejesh, Manpreet Singh or skipper Harmanpreet Singh, who know easy methods to make their presence felt, Mandeep prefers to remain within the background. A product of the well-known Surjit Singh Hockey Academy in Jalandhar that has additionally produced Manpreet, Varun, Simranjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, Ramandeep Singh amongst others, Mandeep focuses on the job at hand.
Known for his poaching abilities within the putting circle, Mandeep is good at discovering gaps because of his peripheral imaginative and prescient and recreation consciousness. During penalty corners too, drag-flickers utilise Mandeep to attain throughout variations and that has helped the Punjab participant attain an unimaginable tally of 184 objectives in 218 appearances for India. When he can’t rating, Mandeep is at all times looking out for a free team-mate.
“While pressing as a centre forward I am the first line of defence,” said Mandeep. “So, I must keep the setup and structure in place. In the forward line you can’t play an individual game. You have to be aware who is with you in the D. New coach (Fulton) emphasises a lot on passing between the forwards. If we go individually, we will get caught in the loop of the defenders but if we keep passing from one striker to another, we’ll constantly create gaps and it becomes easier to score.”
It isn’t simple to alter your model of play however each new coach has a special playbook. Former coach Graham Reid, who guided India to an Olympic bronze two years again in Tokyo, pressured on the standard Australian-styled full press assault however Fulton believes in defending to win, sustaining a half court docket press which lessens gaps within the defence.
Under Fulton, although Mandeep will proceed to play as a centre ahead, he has been handed a barely totally different function as witnessed on the Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) final month in Chennai.
“Now, too, we play full press however it’s barely totally different as it’s a V-shaped press. Normally a centre striker performs up entrance. But on this model, I keep on the again. The thought is to lure the opposition participant, steal the ball and rapidly counterattack. It is like half-court press,” says Mandeep.
Source: www.hindustantimes.com
