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Spectators’ hearts melted as the skipper held the baby in his arms finally, and rocking them before handing them back over to their parents.
Harmanpreet Singh with a toddler from the stands (X)
Wins, losses, and draws are all part of life, but one can’t diminish the joys the life in the pursuit of those. Indian Hockey team skipper Harmanpreet Singh reminded everyone of the same, as he was seen spending time with an adorable fan of his, a toddler, right after their loss to Germany yesterday.
Germany were all over India as international hockey returned to the national capital after a decade. India, the Paris Olympic bronze-medallists, bit the dust against a young German side, losing 0-2 in the first match of the bilateral series on Wednesday.
Despite the loss, Harmanpreet took the time to go thank the supporters and fans in attendance, and one amongst them was the adorable baby in person.
Spectators’ hearts melted as the skipper held the baby in his arms finally, and rocking them before handing them back over to their parents.
Germany prevailed 2-0 thanks to a goal each in the first two quarters and took a 1-0 lead at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium.
Apart from star drag-flicker Harmanpreet, the likes of Varun Kumar, Sanjay, and Amit Rohidas took penalty corners, but none resulted in a goal.
Speaking to the media after the game, head coach Craig Fulton admitted that their penalty corner drills failed to deliver.
“We went on the mock today. There was Varun and Sanjay but you obviously want Harman to score a few from penalty corners. I want to win badly, don’t like to lose but it is a different phase. It wasn’t too bad but there wasn’t much fire upfront,” Fulton said.
The Indian captain Harmanpreet also expressed his disappointment over the loss but asserted that this bilateral series is their only opportunity to test the bench before moving on to the Pro League.
“We tried for variations. Definitely, we want to win every match but this is an opportunity to experiment because now the main target is the Pro League. If we do well in Pro League we will qualify directly for the World Cup,” Harmanpreet said.
“It is a good opportunity for youngsters and those who are making comebacks. We could have done well in penalty corners and counters as well.”
“In modern hockey, if you don’t have two-three drag-flickers then you are going to struggle. So that’s our plan and mindset, we also tried quite a lot of variations. We will practice more, and keep experimenting more till the time we become experts in it,” he added.