Manpreet Singh, Olympic medallist and former Indian Hockey Team captain, is preparing to reach the milestone of his 413th appearance for India, in the FIH Pro League hockey match against Germany in Netherlands today. By reaching this landmark, he will move beyond the all-time highest Indian caps record currently held by former captain and current Hockey India President, Dr Dilip Tirkey. In an exclusive conversation with RevSportz, Manpreet reflected on what the record would mean to him.
“Yes, it is a big thing to represent your country for so many years,” he told RevSportz. “It is a very hard thing, especially in hockey. I had to maintain my fitness for 15 years.” He highlighted how modern-day hockey had changed to being extremely fast and demands the players to be very fit to survive. “It is a very happy and proud moment,” he added, speaking about representing India for so long.
Reminiscing about his journey and the dreams he had as a young boy, Manpreet shared that the path was like a rollercoaster ride. “There was a kid who dreamt of representing India – that finally came true in 2011,” he said, before saying that the journey had a lot of highs and lows, but was eventful enough to teach him a lot.
Looking back on his long career of 412 games and standing on the brink of his 413th, the midfielder revisited one of his memorable moments. He reflected on India’s historic bronze-medal win in Tokyo. Under Manpreet’s captaincy, India secured its first Olympic hockey medal in 41 years. “That match was very important for us and is now a special memory because we had only heard about the Olympic medal until then – we had never touched it,” he said, recalling how India fought back from 3-1 down to seal a 5-4 victory over Germany.
Asked about celebration plans on completion of his 413th appearance for the national team, he confirmed that with FIH Hockey Pro League in progress, the focus is solely on the matches. “I believe if we don’t perform well, there will be no caps”, he said. “When you represent India, you have to play to win. And this is also very important for us because the World Cup is coming.”
Acknowledging the role of the coaching and support staff in his career, he mentioned the words of encouragement and praise he had received from Tirkey. He spoke of Tirkey telling him: “If you have good fitness level, you should continue playing as long as possible; it will make the whole of India proud.”
On the subject of player behaviour and handling on-field sledging, Manpreet was asked about the recent incident with Vaibhav Sooryavnshi reacting to provocation by a Sri Lanka A player in Dambulla. Based on his own experiences, Manpreet remarked, “This happens to us a lot of times. But if I get emotional, aggressive or physical, it will affect the whole team and not just my individual performance. One should look at the bigger picture.
“Opponents will poke you, mock you, abuse you, irritate you but as a sportsperson you should always stick to handling these situations verbally and never with a physical reaction. You cannot just think about yourself.”
“Don’t lose your focus,” said Manpreet, when asked about dealing with on-field banter. “Representing your country is a big thing. Learn to ignore, and focus on your game. The focus should be to maintain your performance and help the team on the whole.”
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Watch the full interview here
Exclusive interview with RevSportz
“When you represent India, you have to play to win.”
Ahead of his record-breaking 413th appearance for India, Manpreet Singh reflects upon his journey, reminisces memories that shaped him, and the ultimate mindset that has kept him going at… pic.twitter.com/cgqPEMp1IC— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) June 17, 2026
The post “Representing your country is a big thing, focus on your game”: Record-breaker Manpreet Singh talks about on-field composure appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
