It's a challenge for me and I'm ready to take it, says Sardar Singh

Sardar Singh's return to the Indian hockey team for next month's Sultan Azlan Shah Cup isn't as much a celebration for him as it is a challenge.

With the team management bringing the ace midfielder back into the side on Tuesday, while also asking him to lead a bunch of youngsters in a tournament of least importance this year, Sardar has been given a stern examination: prove that you're still cut out for the big stage, or make way.

DNA had reported on Monday that the former India captain was set for a comeback in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, and that the think-tank will have almost two separate teams for this upcoming tournament and the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in April.

Thus, by not picking many of the regular players including captain Manpreet Singh and goalkeeper PR Sreejesh for the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup, the team management has laid out its priorities clearly.

Head coach Sjoerd Marijne also confirmed to this paper that the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup will be the last event to rotate and test players, adding that the size of the core group will be cut down from 33 to 24 after the CWG in order to zero in a squad for the Asian Games and the World Cup later this year.

With Marijne's vision for building a young team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics well known, old warhorse Sardar will have to recreate his old magic in order to stake a claim to be in that group of 24.

In that sense, the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup could well be one of Sardar's final litmus tests, and the veteran knows it too well himself.

"It is a challenge," Sardar told DNA on Tuesday from Bengaluru. "In the past few tournaments, a lot of the players have been rotated. Thus, this tournament becomes really important because after this, we will not have any chance to check out new players.

"So, each player's performance counts. And the coaches and the selectors are watching every player in order to select the best 18 for the important tournaments ahead in this year. So yes, it will be a challenge for me, and I'm ready to take this challenge," he added.

Ask him if this event presents an opportunity to prove that there's still hockey left in Sardar Singh, and pat comes the reply: "Absolutely."

"There is nothing free in life, and there is nothing free in playing hockey for India. I will have to work hard, and with the coaches giving chances to more players now, I know I will have to perform in every single game. And it is the same for everyone, whether it is me or anyone else in the team.

"It will be a big challenge for me to be a part of the team that takes the field in the big events later this year. But it's always good when you have a challenge staring in front of you," Sardar said.

Despite being ignored for the crucial Hockey World League Finals last year as well as the team's previous assignment to New Zealand that prompted many to predict the star midfielder's impending career end, Sardar refuses to throw in the towel.

"Whatever physical tests have been done in the recent past, it has shown that my body has held up well. Thus, the main thing is performance, for which I will have to be at my best whenever I get a chance to play for India. When I get that chance is not in my hands, but making it count when I do is. And for that, I'm ready," he said.

But even as the future remains hazy, Sardar continues to wear his blinkers, fighting hard in the hope of making it to his own finish line.

"My target remains the 2020 Olympics, and I know what I have to do for that. I will have to keep myself fit, and perform in tournaments like these when I get a chance. Seedhi si baat hai (It's straightforward)," he said.