Latest news with #HarmanpreetSingh
India Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Lalit Upadhyay says he wanted to retire at peak: Didn't want to drag myself
Lalit Upadhyay said that he decided to retire at the peak of his career and didn't want to drag himself in the sport. Upadhyay, who was an integral part of the Indian team over the past few years, announced his retirement after India's European leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League came to an end on June 22. The 32-year-old won two Olympic medals during his career, winning the Bronze with India during the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. Upadhyay, who made his senior international debut in 2014, made more than 179 caps and scored over 40 goals for India. Speaking to PTI, the midfielder said that he felt it was the right time to leave the sport, despite his form and fitness being great. advertisement"I am almost 32 years old and I felt that now is the time to bid adieu. I wanted to retire while being at the peak and despite the ligament injury, my fitness and form have been great," said Upadhyay. When asked if there was pressure to retire, Upadhyay said that he took the decision himself and many, including men's team captain Harmanpreet Singh, had told him to continue playing. However, the 32-year-old said that he had made up his mind about retirement. "I have taken this decision myself. I did not want to drag myself. Many people, including (captain) Harmanpreet Singh, wanted me to keep playing but I had made up my mind," said Upadhyay. 'Even before going to Pro League in Europe, I was thinking about quitting'advertisementUpadhyay went on to say that he was thinking about retirement before heading to Europe for the recent leg of the Hockey Pro League. "The team was very cooperative but the time (to retire) had come. Even before going to Europe for the Pro League, I was thinking about quitting. I will continue playing domestic hockey and leagues," said asked if he had ambitions of coaching, the midfielder said he was ready for it if Hockey India wants him to take up the role. "If Hockey India wants, I am ready for it. I want to help the future generation of hockey players," said Upadhyay. For his contributions to Indian hockey, Upadhyay was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2021. - Ends
Indian Express
13 hours ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Captain Harmanpreet Singh wanted me to continue but I had made up my mind': Lalit Upadhyay on retirement
Many in the Indian team, including captain Harmanpreet Singh, wanted Lalit Upadhyay to not retire from international hockey but the 32-year-old midfielder said that he had already made up his mind before making the announcement. Lalit made the announcement in an Instagram post, thus bringing the curtains down on a storied career in which he won medals at consecutive Olympics, an Asian Games gold and bronze and a Commonwealth Games silver among a host of other medals and trophies. 'I am almost 32 years old and I felt that now is the time to bid adieu,' Lalit is quoted as saying by PTI. 'I wanted to retire while being at the peak and despite the ligament injury, my fitness and form have been great.' Lalit retires with 67 goals in 183 matches for India. His decision came at the end of a horrific run for the team in the FIH Pro League in which they lost seven matches on the bounce. Lalit said that this had nothing to do with his decision. 'I have taken this decision myself. I did not want to drag myself. Many people, including (captain) Harmanpreet Singh, wanted me to keep playing but I had made up my mind,' he said. A post shared by Lalit Upadhyay (@14__lalit) // 'The team was very cooperative but the time (to retire) had come. Even before going to Europe for the Pro League, I was thinking about quitting. I will continue playing domestic hockey and leagues.' Lalit said he took up hockey to support his family as the small cloth shop was not doing well. 'My family condition was very bad when I took up hockey. My father's small cloth shop was closed and my mother had to stitch clothes. I took up the sport in search of a better future… a job. When my elder brother and I used to stay in day-boarding, we used to get Rs. 250-300 with which we bought a sewing machine for our mother,' he said. Asked about the best moment of his career, he recalls the quarterfinal against Great Britain at the Paris Olympics when India won in the shootout. He feels that despite a string of losses, India's performance in the Europe leg of the Pro League was not bad and the matches were close. 'Many new things were tried and we learnt a lot. We managed to defeat a top team like Belgium.' Lalit also expressed his desire to serve Indian hockey as a coach. 'If Hockey India wants, I am ready for it. I want to help the future generation of hockey players.' he said.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Tightening defence key for India moving forward
Harmanpreet Singh could finally afford a smile as his 59th minute penalty stroke handed the Indian men's hockey team a 4-3 win against hosts Belgium in Antwerp late on Sunday, ending a seven-match losing streak. After winning five games and losing three in eight home games earlier, the Paris Olympics bronze medallists lost seven and won just one in the eight away games. (Hockey India) India had travelled to Europe late in May placed third in the FIH Pro League with a very good chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup — champions qualify for World Cup/Olympics. With Netherlands and Belgium having qualified as hosts and Australia making the cut as last edition's winners, the Harmanpreet-led outfit had a solid chance of heading straight to Amstelveen and Wavre by just finishing fourth if not higher. But bad luck in addition to last-minute nerves resulted in India's worst campaign in Pro League history, finishing 8th in the elite nine-team league, just about escaping the ignominy of relegation into the Nations Cup. After winning five games and losing three in eight home games earlier, the Paris Olympics bronze medallists lost seven and won just one in the eight away games. It wasn't as if Indian forwards or the penalty corner (PC) battery didn't score or convert their chances. Strikers Abhishek (6), Mandeep Singh (4), Sukhjeet Singh (5) and Dilpreet (3) were regularly among goals. Skipper Harmanpreet, as always, was a great threat and finished with 6 goals. In four of the seven losses, India led the opposition. Against Australia, they were 2-0 ahead. But what failed them was the defence, especially in the dying minutes despite the presence of seasoned campaigners like Harmanpreet, Amit Rohidas, Sumit among others. An Achilles heel of old, India had looked to end the trend of giving away last-minute goals in the last Olympic cycle with chief coach Craig Fulton's 'defend to win' approach. But, ironically, it was the backline that faltered again. In the seven away games India lost, the Fulton-coached side lost the game in the last quarter in six of them out of which four defeats came in the last five minutes. 'India was one of the most unlucky teams. They played pretty well barring the last minute goals where matches are very close,' Belgium head coach Shane McLeod said from Antwerp. 'But let's not forget that India have a gift — they play really well in tournaments of consequence like Olympics, Asia Cup, Asian Games. I also expect them to do well at the World Cup. 'I understand everyone wants results but with the development of the team, both can't happen at the same time always. A lot also depends on the nature of the opposition and the stage of their development. Games open up as they progress. They will just need to be more focused (in the last few minutes). I am sure they will learn from this and defend well in future,' added McLeod, who led Belgium to the 2018 World Cup and 2021 Olympic titles. Having missed this opportunity, it will be all to play for at the Asia Cup that will be held in Rajgir, Bihar, in August-September with the winner qualifying for the World Cup. Though India are undisputed kings of Asia — they are the holders of Asian Games and Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) — it isn't going to be a cakewalk for the Harmanpreet led team which was given a tough fight by both Malaysia and China in the finals of the last two ACTs. 'The results have not gone as planned and it's not that we have played badly. It hurts more when you play well but do not convert that into desired result,' India vice-captain Hardik Singh said from Antwerp. 'This is something we will introspect on. Our focus will be on finishing well, ensuring tighter defence and creating chances to score.'
NDTV
5 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
Indian Men's Team Beats Belgium 4-3 To Snap Seven-Game Losing Streak
The Indian men's hockey team edged past Belgium 4-3 to register its first win in the European leg of FIH Pro League in Antwerp on Sunday, ending a run of seven successive losses. With the scores tied at 3-3 with just two minutes left for the final hooter, India asked for a referral after a strong challenge inside the circle. The decision went in India's favour and the brilliant Harmanpreet Singh stepped up to convert the penalty stroke and seal the issue in his team's favour. Arthur de Sloover dished out a terrific finish as he fired the ball into the top right corner to put Belgium in lead in the eighth minute. The home team ended the first quarter 1-0 ahead after a dominant display. In a desperate search of equaliser, India restored parity through Sukhjeet Singh's strike from a penalty corner that packed quite a punch. Belgium threatened on the break and struck again in the early part of the third quarter to regain their lead after a neat finish by Nicolas Stockbroekx. Sukhjeet Singh again came to India's rescue with a his second goal (35th minute) of the match only a minute after going behind. This time, he struck from open play. To the Indian team's delight, Amit Rohidas put them his ahead after they won a penalty corner. Rohidas unleashed a brilliant shot that smashed into the goal. However, the joy was short-lived for the Indians as Belgium hit back again after making use of a penalty corner, with Thibeau Labouchere scoring his maiden international goal. But Harmanpreet ensured India had the last laugh. Earlier, both teams began on attacking note, but as time wore on Belgium looked to control the game, but the Indians too tried to stitch together effective passes and pose a threat going forward.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Indian men's team beats Belgium 4-3 to end losing streak
Antwerp , The Indian men's hockey team edged past Belgium 4-3 to register its first win in the European leg of FIH Pro League here on Sunday, ending a run of seven successive losses. HT Image With the scores tied at 3-3 with just two minutes left for the final hooter, India asked for a referral after a strong challenge inside the circle. The decision went in India's favour and the brilliant Harmanpreet Singh stepped up to convert the penalty stroke and seal the issue in his team's favour. Arthur de Sloover dished out a terrific finish as he fired the ball into the top right corner to put Belgium in lead in the eighth minute. The home team ended the first quarter 1-0 ahead after a dominant display. In a desperate search of equaliser, India restored parity through Sukhjeet Singh's strike from a penalty corner that packed quite a punch. Belgium threatened on the break and struck again in the early part of the third quarter to regain their lead after a neat finish by Nicolas Stockbroekx. Sukhjeet Singh again came to India's rescue with a his second goal of the match only a minute after going behind. This time, he struck from open play. To the Indian team's delight, Amit Rohidas put them his ahead after they won a penalty corner. Rohidas unleashed a brilliant shot that smashed into the goal. However, the joy was short-lived for the Indians as Belgium hit back again after making use of a penalty corner, with Thibeau Labouchere scoring his maiden international goal. But Harmanpreet ensured India had the last laugh. Earlier, both teams began on attacking note, but as time wore on Belgium looked to control the game, but the Indians too tried to stitch together effective passes and pose a threat going forward. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
