Harpal Singh Bedi
New Delhi, 16 February : Promising forward Abhishek, who made his debut for the country at the FIH Hockey Pro League earlier this month, says that South Africa tour was a great learning experience.
“It is always a matter of great pride representing your country on the international stage. I felt proud to wear the Indian jersey on the tour and it was a dream come true moment for me,” Abhishek told Hockey India
The 22-year-old played 3 games in South Africa in which he managed to get one goal.
“I learned a lot playing during the matches. It is very different from the style of hockey that I have played before at the national level as it was a lot quicker and more challenging. But I am happy with my performance and I feel I grew a lot as a player,” he opined.
Abhishek said that scoring his first career goal for India was a memorable moment for him.”As a player, you always want to score as many goals in your career as you can. But you always tend to remember the first goal. I am pleased I was able to open my account against South Africa and I will never forget that moment,”
The young forward who hails from the Sonipat district in Haryana, caught the eyes of the selectors after his performance at the 1st Hockey India Senior Inter-Department National Championship in Bengaluru. He finished as the 2nd highest goal-scorer in the tournament, scoring 6 goals for Punjab National Bank, and helping his team finish third in the tournament.
“I had a good domestic season in 2021, and I was hoping to be included in the 33-core probable group. But when I found out that I was selected in the squad, I was quite happy and felt that my hard work is reaping rewards now,” he added