Midfielder Nilakanta Sharma recollects his journey with Indian men's hockey team

Nilakanta Sharma, who was a part of the 2021 Tokyo Olympics bronze medal-winning Indian men's hockey team, recently reminisced about his journey in the blue jersey.

He revealed he admired players like Chinglensana Singh and Kothajit Singh. He was called up to represent the senior side in 2017, and there has been no looking back ever since.

Speaking about his journey and Tokyo Olympics stint, Nilakanta said:

"I picked up the hockey stick with with the hope of representing India. I looked up to players like Chinglensana Singh and Kothajit Singh who were also from my state. I knew doing well will not only bring great recognition but would also help me improve the living conditions of my family."

He further spoke about the changes that he had seen following the Tokyo Olympics. Nilakanta revealed that many youngsters in Manipur have got a ray of hope that hockey can be pursued as a professional career.

The midfielder added:

"Looking back, the struggles have really paid off. The respect and love we have received from the people of Manipur after the Olympic success has truly been overwhelming. In Manipur, football is most popular but now after our Olympic success many youngsters in that region believe they can make a career out of hockey."

Asian Games is "the biggest tournament this year" for Indian Hockey team - Nilakanta Sharma

With the 2022 Asian Games and 2023 World Cup lined up, the men in blue have a hectic season ahead. Nilakanta said that the team's goal is to win the gold medal at the Asian Games in China. This tournament will be a bridge for the 2024 Paris Olympics qualification.

Speaking about the preparations, Nilakanta said:

"Definitely the biggest tournament for us this year is the Asian Games and we have set our target of securing Olympic qualification. At the Asian Champions Trophy, we got to see how other teams from the continent are performing and definitely we can't take anyone lightly."

He further added:

"A good outing this year in all major tournaments will help us for the Men's World Cup next year in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela. It will obviously be a dream come true moment if we can finish on the podium. But for now, we are all focused on the FIH Hockey Pro League matches in Bhubaneswar. These matches will give us the right momentum ahead of the Asian Games."