It was a collective team effort that sealed the deal for India in the Asian Champions Trophy. Still, some players were exceptional.
TOI takes a look...
Harmanpreet Singh: Undisputed MVP of the tournament. Highest goal-scorer (9 goals) by a massive margin, with the next-highest scorer (Muhammad Khan) four goals behind. Found the pace and placement on his dragflicks at crucial junctures to bail India out. Defended solidly and delivered a number of inch-perfect aerial balls into the danger zone.
Hardik Singh: The consummate linkman between defence and offense. Regularly won midfield battles to wrest possession, initiated flank runs and found goal-bound forwards with penetrative passes. Served as the ideal deputy and was the reliable guy to fall back on in moments of crisis. Also provided perfect penalty corner injections for Harmanpreet to make merry.
Manpreet Singh: Allied superbly with Hardik and Vivek Sagar Prasad to serve as the forward line's engine. Transitioned smoothly from a defensive role to function with greater freedom and enable attack waves. Unselfishly lined up a number of vital assists for the likes of Mandeep Singh and Akashdeep Singh to score match-winning goals.
Karthi Selvam: Grew his stock as a promising young forward to watch out for. Combined well with Sukhjeet Singh, Gurjant Singh and Shamsher Singh to create opportunities for India by way of field goals and penalty corners. As the only Tamil Nadu player in the team, basked in the overwhelming crowd support and staked his claim for a spot in the Asiad squad.
