Sandeep Singh is a name which symbolizes grit and determination. He hails from Shahabad located in Kurukshetra, Haryana. He did his schooling from Mohali and shares his passion for hockey with elder brother—Bikramjeet Singh. He made his International debut at the young age of 17-year-old in 2004 Sultan Azlan Shah Cup. Though it wasn’t a good tournament for him he soon bounced back and played a crucial role in the Asia Cup-winning team, in the very same year.
Former Indian Hockey Player was on the verge of becoming one of the finest players of the game and one incident that the fate of his life forever. On 21st August 2016 boarded Kalka-Shatabdi express to join national camp. He was about to meet his team which was leaving for the World Cup in Germany post two days. But what happened next no one would have predicted, when he met with a horrific accident, after Singh was accidentally shot by an RPF jawan inside the Delhi-Kalka Shatabdi Express.
This was a very tough time for him as this impacted his health as well as career. Sandeep was paralyzed and wheelchair-bound for the next two years. The incident not only shook him and family but saddened his fans all over the country. During a recent interaction with the media was quoted saying that, When I had an accident in 2006, no one believed that I will return to the ground but I did. This time also I was out of the team for long but I was confident of making a comeback.”
He was strongminded to represent national team and during this tough, his family stood by him like a rock. He made an inspiring comeback and performance on the field helped India finish second in the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup that year. He became the top scorer with 8 goals and o his return was made the captain of the Indian team in 2009. Under his leadership, Sandeep Singh won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and became the highest goal scorer, which led to him being awarded the Man of the Tournament.
Sandeep Singh remains India’s best drag-flicker still holds the record for pulling a dead ball at a speed of 145km/hour and the earned the nickname, ‘Flicker Singh. Sandeep Singh is the only one among the three sportspersons who were given tickets by the BJP in Haryana, who has emerged victorious.
He defeated Mandeep Singh Chattha of the Congress by 5314 votes in Pehowa to become the first BJP MLA from the constituency. Post the result, Sandeep Singh met and thanked his supporters. He was quoted saying that, “It is the start of a new inning for me and it feels good to win. People of Pehowa have reposed faith in me and I will aim to work for the development of the people apart from working in a way that they again show their faith in me. I believe that one should not think about completing their five-year term only, but on working for people in a way that they always show their support. They have shown faith in me and my focus will be on the development of youth apart from working on the issues that villagers face. I also believe that youth need to be more and more aware of their rights and I will work in this regard.”
Former Indian Hockey Captain also shared his vision of promoting sports at the grassroots level. “Definitely developing sports and sports infrastructure will be one of the focus points for me. Yes, being a sportsperson is an advantage for me as I have been interacting with lots of players since long. The last 2-3 months also gave me a chance to interact with people publicly and to spend time with them understanding their problems. What I have learnt is that we need to work on the grassroots level in sports and the focus will be on local academies and nurseries apart from preparing more coaches.”
The legend of Indian hockey took to social media to leave a special message and wrote,”पिहोवा विधानसभा क्षेत्र से विजय बनने पर लोगों का धन्यवाद करते हुए व उनका अभिवादन स्वीकार करते हुए।”
Soorma is a movie based on the life of Sandeep Singh, a well-known hockey player which released on July 13. The movie depicted the story of one of the greatest comebacks in history.Diljit Dosanjh essayed the role of India’s hockey star, Sandeep Singh in Soorma. The movie also starred Taapsee Pannu, Angad Bedi, Vijay Raaz.
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