‘Cold shoulder’ for Manpreet Singh: Despite strong metrics, key midfielder faces uncertain future

BENGALURU: Manpreet Singh was part of the London nightmare in 2012, when India failed to win a single match at the Olympics. The then 20-year-old promised himself he would do everything possible to ensure Indian hockey never walked down that path again.Over the next three Olympic cycles, Manpreet became the fulcrum of India’s midfield. Through years of murmurs around groupism and favouritism, his presence at the heart of the team remained the constant.Now a cap away from joining Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey as the most capped Indian player with 412 appearances, Manpreet finds himself lonely at the top and seemingly unwanted by some of his teammates and those running the sport.The midfielder, who has won two Olympic bronze medals, will for the first time in 15 years fail to make the 33-member core probables for the seasonopening FIH Pro League starting next month, followed by another leg in Hobart. The announcement is expected on Thursday, with players already informed on Wednesday.That Manpreet is not among those cleared for the Schengen visa process — for the European leg of the Pro League in June — strongly suggests Hockey India is looking beyond merely ‘resting’ the seasoned campaigner. So what explains the decision? Is it transition, age, fitness, performance, or a glaring lack of judgement?Transition: The transition towards the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics should ideally have begun immediately after the Paris Games. Instead, Hockey India dithered, and now the sword hangs precariously over the head of one of India’s most dependable midfielders.Age and fitness: At 33, Manpreet regularly finishes among the top three in Yo-Yo 1 tests, has repeatedly clocked 21.5 in the more demanding Yo-Yo 2 test, and during the Hockey India League recorded 5.9 minutes in the 1600-yard ‘death run’, against an expected benchmark of 5.30 minutes.Performance: In the recently concluded Hockey India League, Manpreet remained the vital link between defence and attack, excelled in ball retention, and continued to break opposition lines with his angled passing and spatial awareness.Lack of judgment: In a year featuring the World Cup and Asian Games — with Olympic qualification at stake — easing out fit, in-form seniors appears counter-intuitive. Juniors can be phased in gradually.