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IMAGE: For the last one year, Manpreet Singh who has played 402 matches for India — second only to Dilip Tirkey’s 412 — in an illustrious career of 14 years, has now drastically altered his diet and training regimen. Photographs: Hockey India/X
Two Olympic medals, over 400 International caps and still going strong, Manpreet Singh, the second-most capped player in Indian hockey, has found a second wind by tweaking his lifestyle and diet.
The former India captain, who led India to a historic bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, realised after the Paris Games last year that staying relevant in the fast-paced world of modern hockey meant one thing: transforming his fitness.
“After last year’s Paris Olympics and Asian Champions Trophy, I felt that if I have to extend my career, I will have to work on my fitness,” the 32-year-old told PTI Bhasha in an interview.
“I am 30-plus and now I have to maintain my fitness at the level of the young players in the team to compete with them. Experience alone is not enough,” added Manpreet all geared up for the Asia Cup, a World Cup qualifier, to be held in Bihar later this month.
For the last one year, Manpreet who has played 402 matches for India — second only to Dilip Tirkey’s 412 — in an illustrious career of 14 years, has now drastically altered his diet and training regimen.
He has cut down on sweets and junk food, shifted to a high-protein, low-carb diet, and incorporated specialised workouts focused on speed and core strength.
“I have almost stopped eating sweets and junk food. I eat that only once a week but in very small quantities. Apart from gym, I started working on core workouts, speed and lost seven kilos of weight,” added the veteran from Mithapur, Punjab who made his debut for India in 2011 at the age of 19.
“With less weight, the speed on the field improved. I also got very good results in Yoyo and speed tests. I am feeling very good about myself.”
Asian Games 2026, next big target
While there will be speculation whether he will aim for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Manpreet is not making long-term commitments just yet.
“My first target is the Asian Games 2026. I know that I can continue till then with my current fitness. After that I will assess and if I feel otherwise then I will make room for another player. I consider Cristiano Ronaldo as my idol who is so fit even at the age of 40,” he said.
He also said the current Indian team is at par with heavyweights Australia, Netherlands and Germany on fitness, intensity and skills and the only difference is of execution.
“Even before the Tokyo Olympics, the team had the confidence to defeat big teams. In terms of fitness and skill, we are at par with them. The only difference is in the execution and we are focusing on that,” he said.
Asked how he managed the workload in such a long career while playing fast-paced international hockey, he said, “We have a big pool of players and also have India A team. Young players also get opportunities and workload management is taken care of.”
“If I talk about myself, I want to play every match, it is a matter of pride to play for the country and I do not want to lose even a single opportunity of it. I know how much and what kind of recovery is needed after the tournament and I keep doing that,” he added.
Confident of World Cup berth via Asia Cup
He is confident that India will qualify for next year’s World Cup through the Asia Cup to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from August 29.
India have won only one World Cup so far in 1975 and in the last tournament held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in 2023, the host team finished ninth.
“Earlier it was said that we are not able to play well in the Olympics, but in Tokyo we won a medal after 41 years and repeated it in Paris. We are sure that we will perform well in the World Cup as well.”
“It is very important to capitalise on the opportunities in the knockout stage of a big tournament. In the last World Cup, we made a mistake in the match against New Zealand which cost us dearly but we have learned our lesson,” he said.
He does not underestimate any team in the Asia Cup and believes that India will have to play by focusing on its strengths.
“Every team is coming with the goal of World Cup qualification and anything is possible in modern hockey. South Africa had defeated Germany in the Olympics. We have to focus on our strength, not on which team is in front of us.”
In the Europe leg of FIH Pro League this year, the scorelines of six consecutive losses suggest a tough fight by the Indians, but it also reflects a worrying trend of conceding last minute goals and defensive lapses under pressure.
“The European tour was not that bad and there were many close matches. We worked a lot on the defense after that, how not to give easy opportunities to opponents and convert our chances,” he said.
He also said the four-match Australia tour starting from August 15 will give an opportunity to test strategies and young players.
“Australia have already qualified for the World Cup and is a tough opponent. We can evaluate ourselves and our strategy against them to see where we need to focus more. Young players will also get a chance to try themselves,” he added.
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