~ The skilful forward achieved this milestone during India's 9^th to 12^th placing match against South Africa at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar - Rourkela ~

Rourkela, 28 January 2023: Hockey India on Saturday congratulated Mandeep Singh on completing 200 International caps for the Indian Men's Hockey Team. The skilful forward achieved this milestone during India's 9th to 12th placing match against South Africa at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men's World Cup 2023 Bhubaneswar - Rourkela held at the Birsa Munda Hockey Stadium. 

Hailing from Jalandhar, Punjab, Mandeep was one of the youngest players to break into the Indian team. He made his debut for the Senior team during the Hockey World League Round 2 in New Delhi in 2013. 

Mandeep was one of the main architects of the Indian Junior team’s glory at the 2016 Men’s Hockey Junior World Cup. He went on to win Silver medal with the Senior team at the 2016 FIH Champions Trophy and since then he has become one of the key figures in the Indian attack. He has featured in various important victories such as - Gold Medal at Hero Men’s Asia Cup in 2017, Bronze Medal at Odisha Men’s Hockey World League Final Bhubaneswar 2017, Silver Medal at the FIH Men’s Champions Trophy 2018 as well as Gold at 2018 Asian Champions Trophy in Muscat.

The 28-year-old player was also part of the Indian team's historic Bronze Medal feat at the Tokyo Olympic Games, ending the country's 41-year medal drought in the prestigious quadrennial Games. His dynamic attacking displays also helped India secure the third spot at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22 and the Silver Medal at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

For his contributions, Mandeep was conferred with the Arjuna Award in 2021.

Speaking about this special milestone, Mandeep expressed, "This achievement reminds me that I've come a long way. There have been ups and downs in this journey, but I've cherished every match I've played for India. It has been a remarkable and special journey for me with the Indian team all these years, and I thank each and every member who has been part of it. It is a very special moment for me to be playing my 200^th match in front of such a fantastic home crowd in Rourkela."

Congratulating the experienced forward for his achievement,  Padma Shri Dr Dilip Tirkey, President, Hockey India, stated, "I congratulate Mandeep Singh on completing 200 International matches for India. This is an incredible feat for Mandeep. He has been one of the key members of the Indian team over the past few years, and I wish him the very best as he continues to serve Indian hockey."