Men's Hockey World Cup 2018: 5 Indian players to watch out for 

#1 Harmanpreet Singh

Harmanpreet has been India's most consistent drag-flicker

While the stocky drag-flicker is lethal in the striking circle, as a defender, he displays admirable serenity and composure in his own circle. Rarely ever does Harmanpreet Singh display any emotion after scoring, and this is how the 22-year-old explained his sedateness on the pitch.

"I do not like to lose focus in between a match. Celebrations can happen after the match but during the match, it is important to stay focused until the end."

"Even after scoring, we should never forget that the match is not over yet. The smiles can always wait until after the match."

It is extremely difficult to maintain one's consistency in the drag-flicking department as one is under the constant scrutiny of coaches the world over as Chris Ciriello explains.

"For someone like Harmanpreet, over the last 5 tournaments or so, you can have access to every video. So, you can then actually have someone sort out how many flicks he has had, where he has flicked predominantly, and where he has scored. So, I do that to the opposition, and other countries will do that to our drag-flickers as well."

"The most important thing is that we need to become unpredictable but most of the time, we are too predictable."

Yet, Harmanpreet has continued to fire them in with a level of consistency that truly makes him a world class drag-flicker.

Along with Birendra Lakra and Amit, Harmanpreet is also the mainstay of the Indian defence and displays maturity well beyond his years as he mans the backline, and does not hesitate to advance when the opportunity presents itself.

India's top drag-flicker will need to execute to perfection, the various tips and routines taught to him by Jugraj Singh and Chris Ciriello, and continue to stop the advancing strikers in their tracks as the moment of reckoning approaches.

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