Manpreet Singh credits fitness and Virat Kohli inspiration for longevity in hockey

India’s most-capped hockey player Manpreet Singh credits his long career to fitness inspired by Virat Kohli. With 413 caps, he targets Olympic gold and a World Cup medal, calling the Tokyo bronze his career highlight and aiming for LA 2028

New Delhi: India’s most-capped hockey player Manpreet Singh idolises Virat Kohli and credits his longevity to fitness, saying he has drawn inspiration from the star cricketer’s fitness regime.

Manpreet on Wednesday surpassed former captain and Hockey India chief Dilip Tirkey (412 international appearances) to achieve the milestone.

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At 413 caps, Manpreet is fifth on the all-time list and the only active player among the top five.

“Everyone knows that Virat is a fitness freak,” the 33-year-old Manpreet said in an online interaction from Rotterdam during the ongoing European leg of the FIH Pro League.

“Not just for me, but for every athlete he is an idol. Everyone learns from him how to remain fit. He is 36 but has maintained his fitness very well.

“I have also learnt a lot from him (Kohli). The way he remains aggressive on the field, focused and gives his 100 percent. He is a (Cristiano) Ronaldo fan and I am also a Ronaldo fan. That is common between us. It is inspiring for me and all.

“He is a vegan and the way he eats and what he avoids—every athlete follows that.”

Manpreet, who led India to a historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics after 41 years, said the hunger to don the national colours for long drove him towards fitness.

“The hunger to represent India drove me towards fitness, which is the reason behind my longevity. I want to maintain my fitness and prolong my career. In hockey, you need to be fit because if you are not fit, you cannot survive at the world level,” he said.

“That is why I give personal attention to my fitness. With age, I have to increase my fitness level. Whenever I am on break or at camps, I continue my fitness routine.”

In pursuit of Olympic gold, World Cup medal

Manpreet already has two Olympic bronze medals to his credit, but it is the dream of winning a World Cup medal and Olympic gold at the Los Angeles Games that continues to drive him.

“My dream is to win Olympic gold and a World Cup medal. This hunger is the reason behind my longevity. I always knew that if I had to perform well for India, I need to be fit to compete with youngsters,” he said.

“The bigger motivation is my family. Whenever they (especially my two children, wife and mother) see me on TV, they say I played well, but I need to play much better,” he added.

“The grit Manpreet had at the age of 20 is still the same. The craziness is still the same.”

With two major events—the World Cup and Asian Games—lined up, Manpreet knows the importance of the year for Indian hockey.

“In the next matches, we are going to play England and Pakistan, who are in our World Cup group,” he said.

“We are really excited about the World Cup and Asian Games because it has been a long time since we won a World Cup medal. The Asian Games are also important because it is an Olympic qualifier.”

From London low to Tokyo high

Manpreet rated the Tokyo Olympics bronze medal as the highest achievement of his career, but rued India’s disappointing outing at the 2012 London Games.

“The highest point is definitely the Tokyo bronze. It was a dream for all athletes to win an Olympic medal after 41 years. It was my dream too,” he said.

“The lowest was the London Olympics. We went there as youngsters with hopes and goals but could not win a single match and finished 12th.”

Next goals

Manpreet has set his sights on the World Cup, Asian Games and, if fitness permits, the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

“Definitely the target is to play till LA, but for that I need to maintain my fitness. That is going to be a challenge,” he said.

“LA is my target, but I need to keep my fitness. If I feel I am not up to the mark after the Asian Games, I will take a call,” he added.