With two Olympic medals and over 400 international caps to his name, Manpreet Singh, the second-most capped player in Indian hockey history, is showing no signs of slowing down.
The former India captain, who led the team to a historic bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, has found renewed energy by reshaping his diet and training.
Speaking to PTI Bhasha from the national camp, the 32-year-old said he made a conscious decision to overhaul his fitness routine after the Paris Olympics and the Asian Champions Trophy last year.
“After last year's Paris Olympics and Asian Champions Trophy, I felt that if I had to extend my career, I would have to work on my fitness,” Manpreet said.
“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 the veteran midfielder, who is gearing up for the Asia Cup, a World Cup qualifier to be held later this month in Bihar.
With 402 matches under his belt—second only to Dilip Tirkey’s 412—Manpreet has made drastic changes to his lifestyle. He has nearly eliminated sweets and junk food from his diet, switched to a high-protein, low-carbohydrate intake, and incorporated targeted core and speed workouts.
“I have almost stopped eating sweets and junk food. I eat that only once a week, but in very small quantities. Apart from the gym, I started working on core workouts, speed and lost seven kilos of weight,” said the Mithapur native, who made his India debut at 19 in 2011.
“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 speculation may swirl about his potential participation in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Manpreet is not thinking that far ahead.
“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 believes the current Indian team matches global hockey giants in skill and fitness, naming Australia, the Netherlands and Germany.
“Even before the Tokyo Olympics, the team had the confidence to defeat big teams. In terms of fitness and skill, we are on par with them. The only difference is in the execution, and we are focusing on that,” Manpreet said.
On handling workload over his long international career, he credited the team’s player pool and rotation system.
“We have a big pool of players and also have the 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.”
Confident of World Cup berth via Asia Cup
India, which won their only World Cup title in 1975, finished ninth in the last edition held in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela in 2023. Manpreet is confident they will book their place at next year’s World Cup through the Asia Cup, scheduled to be held in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 29.
“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.”
Manpreet is wary of the opposition at the Asia Cup and insists the team must stay focused.
“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.”
India recently endured six consecutive losses during the Europe leg of the FIH Pro League, often conceding late goals. Manpreet, however, believes the team has made improvements.
“The European tour was not that bad, and there were many close matches. We worked a lot on the defence after that—how not to give easy opportunities to opponents and convert our chances,” he said.
He added that the upcoming four-match tour of Australia, starting 15 August, will be a key opportunity for testing tactics and developing new talent.
“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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