India, June 16 -- When 19-year-old Manpreet Singh sprinted across the turf wearing the senior Indian team jersey for the first time in 2011, Indian hockey was in its best health. Fourteen years later, the team has gone through multiple transitions and has vastly improved, winning back-to-back Olympic bronze medals at the Tokyo and Paris Olympics. At the helm of it all was Manpreet, towering through the midfield region.

June 15, 2015, marked another red letter in the illustrious career of Manpreet Singh. He became only the second Indian to play 400 international matches in the FIH Pro League match against Australia in Antwerp, Belgium. His biggest reward? The respect shown to him by the Australian players, who lined up along with the Indi...