Spending time together during the coronavirus-forced lockdown developed a collective mindset that helped the Indian men's hockey team overcome difficult challenges at the Tokyo Olympics, said defender Harmanpreet Singh.
Harmanpreet has been a central figure in the resurgence of the Indian team in recent years.
His performance was not only vital to the side's bronze medal success at the Tokyo Olympics, but also saw the 26-year-old earn the title of FIH Men's Player of the Year 2021.
In Hockey India's podcast 'Hockey Te Charcha', Harmanpreet reflected on the team's success in the Tokyo Olympics and opened up about the various facets of his game.
"Our team spent a lot of time together in lockdown last year before the Olympics. It was a difficult situation because we were not able to visit home in the initial months of lockdown, but facing that period of difficulty together prepared us for the challenges of the Olympics last year.
"Even after trailing 31 against a team like Germany in the bronze medal match, it was our collective mindset in difficult situations which got us over the line eventually," he said.
Harmanpreet has steadily grown in stature in the team's ranks since making his national team debut in 2015. Speaking about his role as vice-captain of the Indian team, the defender said he "enjoys the additional responsibility".
"It has never felt like an added pressure because everyone in the team is able to communicate openly with each other.
"Of course, Manpreet and other senior players like Sree bhai (P.R. Sreejesh) also take responsibility to guide the team in training and match situations, so it is a collective effort on the part of the whole team to grow together."
Another aspect of the game that Harmanpreet has mastered is his goal-scoring from penalty corners. One of the most feared drag-flickers in the world today, the Punjab-based player spoke about how he has acquired this skill.
"I was training in Ludhiana at the time when my coaches identified me as a potential drag-flicker, but it was in the Surjit Hockey Academy in Jalandhar that I received proper training for the first time ever in taking penalty corners.
"I used to spend a lot of time individually before and after team practice hours to improve my drag flicks, and also had the right kind of guidance from senior players in the academy.
"Then after I came into the national team, I saw players like Sardara Singh and Rupinder Pal Singh work on their game. Learning from them helped me improve my skills even further," Harmanpreet added.