{"id":273909,"date":"2025-04-04T10:01:05","date_gmt":"2025-04-04T10:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/04\/fih-pro-league-with-concerns-around-workload-hardik-returns-to-make-significant-impact-in-win-vs-germany\/"},"modified":"2025-04-04T10:01:05","modified_gmt":"2025-04-04T10:01:05","slug":"fih-pro-league-with-concerns-around-workload-hardik-returns-to-make-significant-impact-in-win-vs-germany","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/04\/fih-pro-league-with-concerns-around-workload-hardik-returns-to-make-significant-impact-in-win-vs-germany\/","title":{"rendered":"FIH Pro League: With concerns around workload, Hardik returns to make significant impact in win vs Germany"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"FIH<\/div>


\n<\/p>\n

So crowded was India\u2019s defensive third, the peak-hour Mumbai suburban railway station rush would\u2019ve paled in comparison. In a tiny area on the right flank, near the 23m line in India\u2019s half, nearly half a dozen German white shirts were hassling their opponents in blue, trying to snatch the ball from them and attack the goal. In such a tight space, the ball landed on the stick of Hardik Singh. In a millisecond, without even having to look up, Hardik launched an aerial ball that travelled more than 50m and landed straight on Lalit Upadhyay\u2019s stick inside the German defence.<\/p>\n

The breathtaking pass did not lead to a goal. But it was exactly the kind of inventiveness India lacked on Tuesday when they succumbed to a 1-4 defeat to Germany in the FIH Pro League. Less than 24 hours later, with Hardik back in the team \u2014 along with captain Harmanpreet Singh \u2014 India turned things around, keeping a clean sheet and beating the world champions 1-0.<\/p>\n

\n

The difference in the quality of India\u2019s play \u2014 the control, the energy, creativity \u2014 a night apart was evident. Spain coach Max Caldas, speaking minutes before Wednesday\u2019s push-back, was quick to point out the Indian captain and vice-captain\u2019s impact on the gameplay. \u201cThe last game against Germany; no Harmanpreet, no Hardik and you feel that,\u201d he had said.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

On Tuesday, Harmanpreet and Hardik were rested as a \u2018precautionary\u2019 measure; the former had a wrist injury while the latter complained of a stiff shoulder. Sumit too has been missing due to a hamstring issue. India chief coach Craig Fulton, in a cryptic comment after Tuesday\u2019s defeat, said that the \u2018Hockey India League had taken its toll\u2019 when asked about player absences.<\/p>\n

Fulton didn\u2019t elaborate. But it\u2019s a warning sign. The hockey season is getting tighter and tighter, peppered with the Pro League matches, the continental championships and occasional bilaterals. The additional dozen or so matches that the HIL brings further add to a player\u2019s workload and by the time the next season comes along, in January next year, the World Cup and the Asian Games will be just a few months away.<\/p>\n

Hockey\u2019s problem isn\u2019t unique \u2014 badminton, football, and cricket all are battling a similar crisis. And Fulton with his sports science staff will have to find a solution to the increasing workload, for India can ill afford to lose its most influential outfield player.<\/p>\n

Because while Hardik has been central to India\u2019s fortunes on the field, he has also been injury-prone and forced to sit out for prolonged periods after almost all major competitions in the last two years. During the 2023 World Cup, he pulled his hamstring; after the Asian Games that year, he spent another 30-40 days working on it. Immediately after the Olympics last year, he was ruled out for months after a shoulder injury and there have been complaints of shoulder stiffness after the HIL.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating, really,\u201d Hardik tells The Indian Express<\/a>. \u201cI am doing everything my body needs. If there are injuries even after that, it\u2019s not in my hands I guess.\u201d There\u2019s an additional toll on the attacking midfielder\u2019s body because of his style of play. As Caldas, formerly with the Netherlands, noted: \u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like it but he runs a lot during games.\u201d<\/p>\n

Like on Wednesday, he\u2019s always navigating through the traffic; seeing passes, making penetrative runs; joining the attack; bailing the defence and controlling the midfield. Fulton once said he makes the team \u2018tick\u2019. And his importance to India isn\u2019t lost on the opponents.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a special, special player. Probably one of the best midfielders in the world,\u201d says Englishman Sam Ward, joking that Hardik made him look \u2018silly many many days in training (during HIL, both played for UP Rudras) with his dribbling skills\u2019. Caldas calls him a game-changer. \u201cAs an opposition coach, you suffer him. But you love watching him play,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Fulton knows India \u2018can\u2019t rely on him all the time\u2019. \u201cHe\u2019s a human after all,\u201d the coach had said in an earlier interview. But India will need a fit Hardik throughout the LA Olympics cycle. With the forward line likely to go through a transition in the coming few months and seniors like Manpreet Singh to assess their condition after next year\u2019s Asian Games, Hardik could be one of the few remaining links from the back-to-back Olympic medal-winning campaigns.<\/p>\n

\n

Story continues below this ad<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Hardik takes the praise that comes his way lightly \u2014 \u2018it\u2019s a team game,\u2019 he insists \u2014 but is conscious of his increasing importance to the side. He stresses on getting the \u2018details\u2019 right \u2014 the post-match rehab. \u201cAfter the game, I have a pool session, ice bath and stretching. Only if I focus on those details, I\u2019ll be able to give my 100 per cent on the field,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Lifestyle changes, too, have been introduced. \u201cI try sleeping on time, have stopped eating fried and outside food, eat more seeds and nuts and been keeping myself hydrated all the time,\u201d he says. \u201cThese are the most boring things an athlete can do,\u201d the 26-year-old laughs.<\/p>\n