New Delhi, Jan 5 (PTI) When images of a young Harjeet Singh curled up beside the Junior World Cup trophy after India’s historic triumph in 2016 went viral, he was celebrated as the next big thing of Indian hockey.
Nearly a decade later, Harjeet is still searching for answers for his exclusion from the senior squad, while also looking for a second chance.
Captain of the Indian junior team that went unbeaten to lift the 2016 Junior World Cup in Lucknow after a 15-year wait, Harjeet’s sudden disappearance from the national spotlight stunned not just fans, but the player himself.
“Every junior player dreams of joining the senior team and representing the country at the Olympics. I was with the senior team, yet suddenly I was out without any explanation. Even today, I don’t understand why,” Harjeet, who plays for JSW Soorma in the HIL, told PTI Bhasha.
The 29-year-old midfielder last represented India in 2018 against New Zealand. Despite being part of the senior squad that won silver at the 2016 Champions Trophy in London and the gold medal at the 2015 Junior Asia Cup, his international journey came to an abrupt halt.
His iconic Junior World Cup success even inspired a Punjabi film, Harjeeta, yet the fairy tale never quite transitioned to the senior stage much like former cricket prodigy Unmukt Chand, with whom he is often compared.
“Many of the players I played alongside like Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Krishan Pathak are doing very well today. Somewhere, there is regret that I could not do that,” Harjeet admits.
With over 50 international caps to his name, Harjeet is realistic about the uphill task of returning to the national team. But he believes the Hockey India League (HIL) offers him a platform to prove a point.
“A good performance in the HIL can strengthen any player’s case for national selection. I want to show that the decision to drop me was wrong. Even today, the question haunts me, what mistake did I make that deserved such a harsh punishment?” he asked.
His HIL team is captained by his former junior teammate and current India skipper Harmanpreet and Harjeet feels a renewed sense of belonging.
“I am a ‘Soorma’ (warrior) at heart. The team environment is excellent. There is no divide between juniors and seniors. Having teammates like Harmanpreet, Akashdeep, Gurjant and Vivek Sagar Prasad makes it special,” said the midfielder.
Away from international hockey, Harjeet continued playing departmental hockey for Bharat Petroleum, featuring for HGC in the Dutch League, and representing Indian Gymkhana in the UK.
“It was the toughest phase of my life when I was out of the Indian team. Everyone asked the same question that when will you play for India again? It took a long time to come out of it but I tried to stay positive. I watched sports biopics for motivation,” recalls the player from Kurrali village in Mohali.
Harjeet’s hockey journey began in humble fashion, drawn to the sport to get a kit and good food. He joined the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar in 2007 and entered the Indian camp four years later.
Now with the HIL as his stage and redemption as his goal, Harjeet is once again fighting, not for headlines, but for answers, respect, and a place he believes he never truly lost. PTI MJ PDS PDS
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