Barcelona: Hockey India on Friday congratulated midfielder Hardik Singh on completing 100 International Caps for India.
The Indian Vice Captain achieved this milestone during India's third match against England in the 100th Anniversary Spanish Hockey Federation - International Tournament being played here in Spain.
The youngster has risen through the ranks, becoming one of the key figures in India's midfield over the past few years. Hardik made his Senior Team debut at the 2018 Men’s Hero Asian Champions Trophy where India and Pakistan were declared joint-winners and thereafter he went on to represent India in almost all the major tournaments. He was part of India's Gold medal-winning feat at the 2019 FIH Men’s Series Finals in Bhubaneswar as well the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Qualifiers, the Hockey India sources said.
The flamboyant midfielder has played a vital role in India's recent success, which includes a historic Bronze medal feat at Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. He was also part of the third-place finish at the FIH Pro League 2021/22 and a Silver medal win at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.
The 24-year-old was also honoured with the Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of the Year 2022 at the 5th Hockey India Annual Awards 2022 held in March 2023 in New Delhi.
"I feel incredibly proud to have achieved this milestone. I am thankful to everyone who has supported me and inspired me along the way. There is still a long way to go, and a lot to achieve. I am looking forward to giving my best for the team and continuing to make our supporters proud," stated Hardik, India Team Vice Captain.
Congratulating the youngster on his accomplishment, Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr. Dilip Tirkey said, “I would like to congratulate Hardik on completing 100 International Caps for India. He has matured as a player in the past two years and has certainly stepped up as a young leader in the current group. I wish him the very best for the future, he has been given a new role as the Vice-Captain and I hope that he continues to show his talent in helping India to reach greater heights." (UNI)