At our current level, we feel we can win every game: Sardar Singh

Sardar Singh might have got a much-deserved break after a 15-month-long non-stop hockey, but the India hockey captain has neither flown out of the country for a vacation nor cooling his heels at home.

Sardar has been camping at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Bengaluru – where the national hockey camps usually take place – ever since the rest of the team flew to London for the ongoing FIH Champions Trophy. However, Sardar isn't worried about hockey.

"I haven't touched a hockey stick in this camp," Sardar told dna from Bengaluru, where he will be staying till this weekend. "The focus is only on conditioning, weight training and running. It's only about fitness throughout the day."

Sardar, one of the fittest Indian hockey players for a long time now, knows the importance of not letting his guard down despite Hockey India (HI) and the selectors deciding to give him a rest.

"You cannot switch off totally. Athletes need to keep the body active. If you leave hockey for a week altogether, your fitness levels will go down drastically. You will then need to start from scratch once you are back. I know how to play hockey, we all are fit now, the main thing is to recharge mentally. And that's why this break is crucial," he said.

It, indeed, is for Sardar. Not only has the 29-year-old played almost continuously this year, he has also had to battle issues off the field. A sexual harassment case was filed against the Indian captain by UK-based Ashpal Kaur Bhogal earlier this year, and though the Ludhiana police disposed of the matter due to lack of proof, Sardar had admitted to this paper in an earlier interview that the allegations did disturb him mentally.

Now, he can come back refreshed, thinking only about the crucial two months leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympics.

"Both physically and mentally, I needed this. The coach (Roelant Oltmans) and HI have taken the right decision. In the past seven-eight years, I have played non-stop. With the Olympics nearing, I needed this rest.

"There's the need to maintain a certain level whenever you are playing a tournament. And, before the tournament comes the pressure of doing well in it, both individually and as a team. So, such things take a toll on you mentally. And this 20-25-day break for me has come as a boon. My body is also feeling really fresh, and so is my mind," he said.

The magical midfielder has been keeping a tab on the Indian team currently in London. "Champions Trophy is a big tournament. The level at which we are performing right now, we feel the team can win every game. But having said that, a draw against Germany is a positive sign. We then beat England at their home turf, which is really great. I think we also played a good match against Belgium, we created our chances, but we lost. That happens in hockey," he said.

With coach Oltmans resting some senior players in the previous two tournaments to throw some young legs into the deep end of the water, Sardar has been mightily impressed with the juniors who have grabbed the opportunity. Even if it means selection headaches when it comes to picking the final squad for the Games in the first week of July.

"Some young players like Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh are playing really well, which is refreshing to see as someone who has been here for so long. The team unity is something that is striking. The fitness, combination, ball speed, all these things are working really well for us.

"That's why I agree with coach's rotation policy. I feel in our current hockey team, there are no seniors and juniors. There is really not much of a difference. Even the coaches are confused as to which players to take for Olympics, because everyone is doing really well. So, it's good that everyone is getting a chance to stake a claim for a spot in Rio," Sardar said.