Hockey: Abhishek proud to represent India, terms Pro League a learning experience

The Indian men's hockey team is in the transition stage. After a couple of retirements following the Tokyo Olympics, the Indian team is now going with a healthy youth vs experience balance.

One such player to don the Indian Blues is young and dynamic forward Abhishek. He made his debut in the FIH Pro League matches against South Africa and France earlier this month.

The FIH Pro League offered a huge learning opportunity for Abhishek. He said he was proud to represent the country on the international stage and termed it a dream come true moment.

"I felt proud to wear the Indian jersey on the tour and it was a dream come true moment for me. 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 like I have grown a lot as a player," he told Hockey India.

Read: IOA chief Narinder Batra slams Hockey India for below-par performances

Abhishek played three games in South Africa and scored one goal. The 22-year-old said scoring his first 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," he said.

Formitive hockey years

Abhishek, who hails from Sonipat district in Haryana, started playing hockey at the age of 11 when he saw his school friends playing the sport.

At the start of his career, Abhishek was helped by school coaches who convinced his parents to allow him to pursue the sport because of his skills.

"I found the sport quite interesting, so I developed an interest in it. Earlier, it used to be just friendly games with my schoolmates, but later, I decided to pursue a career in the sport as my interest kept growing," he said.

Abhishek caught the eye of the Indian selectors after his performance at the Senior Men's Inter-Department National Championship in Bengaluru in December. He finished as the second highest goal-scorer in the tournament. He scored six goals for Punjab National Bank and helped them 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 the rewards now," Abhishek concluded.