Harmanpreet Singh keen to make a mark

MUMBAI: Harmanpreet Singh shot in to limelight in October this year when he struck a brace to help India U-21 beat Great Britain 2-1 in the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup at Johor Bahru in Malaysia. These couple of goals took his tally to nine and helped him top the scorers chart in the tournament. What's more, he was also named the player-of-the-tournament. A few days later the dragflicker was picked by Dabang Mumbai for an impressive $51,000 during the Hockey India League auctions, and needless to say, he is eagerly looking forward to make a mark in the league.
"I did well in Malaysia, so I was hoping to get selected for the HIL. This is my first appearance and I am looking forward to it," Harmanpreet told TOI on Monday.
The 18-year-old, a product of the Surjeet Singh Academy in Jalandhar, was also part of the Indian team that toured Australia recently and scored seven goals in five games. "I am looking to improve continuously, and am happy with the way we performed in Australia. We beat the Aussies in one of the two matches we played against them and beat New Zealand and Japan twice," said the soft-spoken defender.
As a result of the sojourn, Harmanpreet could not follow the Champions Trophy that took place in Bhubaneswar. But he is aware of the impressive fight that India put up in the tournament where they finished fourth.
What's also not lost on the youngster is the tough fight he will encounter in his quest to break it into senior India probables. After all, the likes of Rupinder Pal Singh, V Raghunath and Gurjinder Singh are already doing a fine job for the national side. "It's good for our team that we now have a pool of drag-flickers to choose from. But, my aim just now is to just keep improving ­ both my defending and drag-flicking ­ so let's see how things work out," Harmanpreet pointed out.
Dabang Mumbai are making their debut in the third edition of the HIL and Harmanpreet believes the tournament will provide a huge opportunity for him to learn from the big boys of the sport. He will be playing alongside the likes of Belgian Tom Boon, Aussie Glenn Turner, and former Indian stars Vikram Pillay and Arjun Halappa.