Sandeep Singh is a well known professional field hockey player and the ex-captain of the Indian national hockey team. He typically plays as a full back in the team. He is known for having one of the best drag flicks in hockey and can generate drag speeds of nearly 150 km/hr. He is also a penalty corner specialist.
The movie ‘Soorma’ featuring Diljit Dosanjh and Taapsee Pannu in the lead is a biopic of Singh. Directed by famous director Shaad Ali, the film will release in theaters on 13th July 2018.
Early Life
Sandeep Singh Saini was born on 27 Feb 1986 in Shahabad, Haryana into a Sikh family. His parents are Daljit Kaur and Gurcharan Singh. He has an elder brother Bikramjeet Singh who is also a field hockey player.
Career
Sandeep debuted in the Indian national hockey team when he was only 18 years old at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup held at Ipoh. He was appointed captain of the team in Jan 2009. The team won the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup in 2009 under his captaincy. The team had not won the title for 13 years. Sandeep was the top scorer in the tournament. He was replaced as Indian national hockey team captain by Rajpal Singh in 2010.
In 2012, Singh scored an incredible 16 goals at the Olympic qualifiers to help India qualify for the London Summer Olympics. India qualified for the Olympics after failing on the past two Olympics.
In 2013, Sandeep was bought by the Mumbai Magicians franchise in the Indian Hockey League. He got one of the highest prices at the auctions. He later went on to play for the Punjab Warriors and the Ranchi Rays franchises. He has also played for Havant Hockey Club in England in 2014.
The Shooting Incident
On 22nd Aug 2006, Sandeep was travelling by train to join his teammates and then travel to Germany for the world cup. Unfortunately, he was seriously injured by an accidental gunshot. He was paralyzed and had to use a wheel chair for 2 years. He however overcame this tragedy, started training again, and got selected to the Indian national hockey team.
Trivia
- Singh is 6 feet tall
- He is currently employed with the Haryana Police and has the rank of a DSP.
- He has been nicknamed ‘Flicker Singh’ due to his proficiency in drag flicks.
- He was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2010 for his achievements in hockey
Sandeep Singh – Wife
Sandeep Singh and his wife Harjinder Kaur were childhood friends, who grew up together in Shahbad Markanda, in the Kurukshetra District (Haryana). Like Sandeep, Harjinder was also a hockey player who would train with her boyfriend at Baldev Singh Academy. Since the two had roots from the same village in Pakistan and loved the same profession, the relationship smoothly changed into marriage.
However as Sandeep went on to become a professional hockey player, Harjinder took backseat as a home-maker and then as a mother to a boy named Sehajdeep. She has quit hockey but still holds the game in high regard, because her husband has excelled in the game, and more importantly in her words, “this game brought me and Sandeep close to each other.”