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Between his senior India debut in 2011 and coming October 27, star playmaker Manpreet Singh played 430 matches, won two Olympic medals and became a three-time Asian Games gold medallist, but never got a chance to play in front of fans in his home state Punjab. In less than a week, that void will be filled by the Asian Champions Trophy 2026, which will be hosted in Jalandhar and Mohali.
Of the two venues, the one in Jalandhar holds special significance for six members of the Indian squad selected for the tournament: not just will they play at home in Punjab, but also on the same ground where, in Manpreets words, they dared to dream big. Manpreet, captain Harmanpreet Singh, Mandeep Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Dilpreet Singh and Krishan Pathak cannot wait to step onto the same pitch where they spent their teen years learning the sport together. It is going to be an emotional moment, said Manpreet in a press release. When we were selected for the national camps, we carried our dreams with us. The time we spent at the Surjit Hockey Academy taught us not just how to play but also emboldened us to dare to dream big," he added. Dilpreet is the youngest among the six, and the excitement in his voice could be felt even more. Our careers launched from here, I played my first national (championship) from here before getting selected for India, said the 26-year-old striker. The excitement of playing at home in Punjab is not just restricted to players; their parents too are itching to get inside the stadium and see their children for the first time while playing for India. My parents keep asking me when is the tournament beginning, when can we come; they even want to come and watch me in training sessions, said Dilpreet, inspired to pursue sports by his grandfather who was a long-jumper and father who used to play hockey. For goalkeeper Pathak, the motivation is even bigger as he makes his India comeback after a long gap of nine months. An overwhelmed Pathak thanked all who made an international tournament in Punjab possible. I would like to thank the Punjab government and Hockey India for giving us this opportunity to play in Punjab, said Pathak. What makes the occasion even bigger for me and others from the Surjit Hockey Academy is that we will be playing at the same ground where we learned the sport for seven years. I dont think there can be anything bigger than that. Captain Harmanpreet Singh, too, could not hide his emotions, waiting for October 27 when India takes on Bangladesh in their tournament opener in Jalandhar. It is going to be a special occasion for the entire team, especially for the players who belong to Punjab because its the first time that we will be wearing an India jersey at an international tournament in Punjab, said Harmanpreet. My entire family is expected to be at the stadium watching me play an international match together from the venue for the first time, including my father, who has never seen me play for the country while sitting inside the stadium, added Harmanpreet, the first Indian captain to lead the country in two Asian Games gold medal triumphs and that too in consecutive editions. Indias star midfielder Hardik Singh also spent a couple of years at the Surjit Hockey Academy, but he is largely regarded as a product of the Mohali Hockey Academy where he did most of his training before being called for the national camp. Jarmanpreet was equally buoyed about playing at the Olympian Surjit Singh Hockey Stadium. This is the place that gave us wings. For me its even more special because the two years I was not part of the Indian team, I spent that time at the Surjit Academy training and striving for a comeback, which eventually happened, said the defender. Coming back to the tournament, the five other teams competing for the top prize will be Malaysia, Japan, China, South Korea and Bangladesh. After the league stage from October 27 to November 2 in Jalandhar, the tournament will move to the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali, which will host the semi-finals and the medal matches on November 4 and 5. Besides India, who have won the ACT title for a record five times, only South Korea have previously lifted the trophy among the participating teams in this ninth edition of the tournament. (ANI)
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