Set to become the youngest Indian to feature in four Hockey World Cups, 31-year-old Mandeep Singh is determined to end India's 51-year medal drought at the marquee tournament.
As the Indian men’s hockey team prepares to open its FIH Hockey World Cup campaign on August 15 at the historic Wagener Stadium in the Netherlands, forward Mandeep Singh is on the brink of rewriting the record books. The 31-year-old, alongside teammate Manpreet Singh, will join legends Dhanraj Pillay and P.R. Sreejesh in an elite list of Indians who have played in four World Cups, with Mandeep becoming the youngest player to do so.
Despite owning medals from every other major tournament—including the Olympics in Tokyo and Paris, the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games, junior and senior Asia Cups, and the Asian Champions Trophy—the veteran of 288 international matches is acutely aware of the missing piece in his collection.
"Of course, it feels great to play my fourth World Cup, a very proud moment. But it is also a reminder that there is nothing to show for the three I have already played. It’s just been participation so far… we don’t have the one thing that we so desperately want," Mandeep admitted.
India's wait for a Hockey World Cup medal currently stands at 51 years. Spurred on by a conversation with his father, who reminded him he is "still one short," Mandeep sees the upcoming tournament in Belgium and the Netherlands as a critical opportunity to complete his medal haul and lift the trophy.
As one of the squad's most experienced leaders, Mandeep emphasizes collective accountability over individual tags. He noted that all 18 players share equal responsibility on the turf regardless of whether they have played 10 or 100 matches, while pointing to diet, fitness, and individual extra training as his personal recipe to keep pace with younger teammates.
With Olympic medals already helping transform Indian hockey's stature, Mandeep insisted the team's complete focus remains locked on ending the half-century World Cup drought before thinking about any other event, such as the Asian Games.
Reporting sourced from The Hindu Hockey. Photo courtesy The Hindu Hockey.