Sanju Samson has special message from RR IPL 2021 side for Manpreet Singh

The Indian men's hockey team under the leadership of Manpreet Singh will be heading to Tokyo Olympics with an aim of achieving glory. The Tokyo Olympics is less than a month away and the Indian men’s hockey team skipper spoke about the mood of the team and what is their ambition ahead of the mega event in Tokyo, during an interaction with the Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson on Wednesday. Samson had invited Manpreet Singh on Wednesday for a very special Instagram Live session on the occasion of International Olympics Day.

Sanju Samson's special message for Manpreet Singh ahead of Tokyo Olympics

With the topic of the interaction revolving around ‘Let’s Talk Olympics’, the Indian men’s hockey team skipper seemed very excited heading into his third Olympics. When been asked to speak about the excitement, Manpreet said, “As a hockey player, the biggest dream that I’ve had is to win an Olympic medal for our country. We have a great chance to do that in Tokyo, and I am proud that I’ll be leading a group of boys who are really excited and motivated to fulfill our ambitions. We know the history and the expectations, but we believe that we can repeat history."

During the conversation, Samson also wished Manpreet success and also gave a special message on behalf of Rajasthan Royals. He said, "We will be following you and the team, and making sure that you receive our support throughout the competition. I can understand that it’s a huge opportunity for all of you, and on behalf of the Rajasthan Royals family, I would like to send our best wishes to you and the entire team. I am sure you will make us proud."

Sanju Samson was last seen on the field while leading the Rajasthan Royals team in the IPL 2021. The cash-rich league was suspended during the halfway stage due to reports of multiple COVID-19 cases inside the bio-bubble. The cricketer will be next seen in action with the Indian team travels to Sri Lanka. The second leg of  IPL 2021 will be played in UAE. 

Indian hockey squad for Olympics

While Manpreet Singh will be leading the 16-member Indian hockey squad for the Olympics, experienced defenders Birendra Lakra and Harmanpreet Singh were named his deputy for the event. Under Manpreet's captaincy, the Indian team has also improved their world ranking as they are currently positioned at No.4. In the past four years, the men's hockey team has achieved important milestones including winning the Asia Cup in 2017, winning the Asian Champions Trophy in 2018 as well winning the FIH Series Final in 2019. The team led by Manpreet Singh also made it to the quarter-finals of the FIH Men's World Cup 2018 in Bhubaneswar. They performed exceedingly well in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2020 before the pandemic disrupted the schedule. 

Indian hockey squad for Olympics: Manpreet Singh (Captain) P.R Sreejesh(Goalkeeper) Harmanpreet Singh, Rupinder Pal Singh, Surender Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra (Defenders) Hardik Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Nilakanta Sharma, Sumit (Midfielders) Shamsher Singh, Dilpreet Singh, Gurjant Singh, Lalit Kumar Upadhyay, Mandeep Singh (Forwards)

Image: Sanju Samson / Manpreet Singh / Instagram