Teams will be wary of Sandeep Singh at the Games: Sohail Abbas

When Sandeep Singh was accidentally shot at on his arm in 2006, I feared India had lost a future star. For a drag-flicker, having strong arms is of utmost importance to succeed at the international stage. That’s how we generate the power in our flicks. He was merely 20 then, but his exploits at the junior level had proven that he was the one to watch out for in the future.

Six years later, with Olympic rings tattooed on that same arm, he has ensured that India returns to the event after missing out in 2008. That speaks a lot about his character.

In the last couple of decades, I’ve enjoyed watching Jugraj Singh the most. He’s also a good friend of mine. I can definitely see the kind of impact Jugraj, now India’s drag-flick coach, is having on Sandeep.

Though I couldn’t watch the Olympic qualifiers because of my training schedule, I read that Sandeep scored 16 goals in the tournament - all through penalty corners - including five in the final. The consistency with which Sandeep has been scoring for India is really impressive. And it’s not just his deadly drag-flicks. Banda penalties save bhi kar leta hai (he also save penalties). Very few drag-flickers actually do that.

His cross-field passes are powerful and accurate. So he is valuable for India in more ways than one.

For a drag-flicker, it is important to get the right combination and try variations. Goalkeepers these days use ball machines at practice to tackle drag-flick situations during matches. Hence, their reflexes have been extremely good; they can easily cut the angles to make life difficult for the scorer. Hence, a drag-flicker has to be quick and must have variations. Also, he should be able to dodge the body and be smart in picking his spot.

The drag-flicker has to outthink the goalkeeper. That’s what I did. If a goalkeeper is short, he is expecting me to hit the ball over him. So I always tried to hit it low into a corner, making it difficult for him to save.

These tricks work against top teams like Australia, Germany and the Netherlands. Hence, I would like to see more variations from Sandeep. It’s not just the goals you score, it’s also how you get them. I am sure he understands these nuances and will display what he has up his sleeves at the biggest stage in London. I know I will be wary of a player of his calibre if India and Pakistan play each other at the Olympics. I am sure most teams will be.

I have heard people complaining about his conversion rate, he himself has said he would like to improve it. But that’s one thing that will get better with experience. At the international level, even 50 per cent conversion rate is good enough. It is very difficult to achieve that as well. It all comes down to experience and how you handle pressure.

Sandeep is still young; with time he will mature. Right now, he is in the form of his life. My only advice to him is to work hard, carry on with the same form. I’ll pray that he achieves more success in the Olympics for India!

Pakistan’s Sohail Abbas is considered to be one of the best drag-flickers of all time and is currently the highest goal scorer in world hockey. He spoke to Mihir Vasavda