'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
As a budding young talent, Vivek Prasad made his debut at the Four-Nations Tournament in New Zealand in 2018 before finding a place in the side at the Commonwealth Games soon after.
Despite missing out during the 2018 FIH World Cup, Vivek performed consistently enough to become an essential part of the Indian midfield right through the Tokyo Olympics and beyond.
Once coached by Ashok Kumar, son of the legendary Dhyan Chand, the 24-year-old is now all set to perform his role of cutting off opposition attacks, assisting the Indian strikers and attempting to score a few goals himself at the Paris Games.
During an exclusive interaction with Sportskeeda, Vivek Prasad revealed that since many of the top teams save their best ploys for the Olympic Games, the Indians too are working on surprising the opposition.
"All the teams come with something new in big tournaments and save some of their best ploys for Olympic matches. Our coach made us implement new strategies to surprise the opposition. Learning and implementing these assumes great significance before the Olympic Games," Vivek explained.
Vivek Prasad disclosed that the team tried out several different strategies during the FIH Pro League some of which yielded positive results while others did not.
The diminutive but immensely skilled midfielder stressed that the experience gained from the Pro League was vital for the team's preparations ahead of the Olympics.
"The Pro League was a great learning experience for us as we played against the top teams in the world before the Olympic Games. We tried a lot of different strategies and combinations at the Pro League some of which worked and some did not," he admitted.
"Regardless of the results, we gained a lot of experience and some valuable insights on where we stand and what we need to work on," Vivek stated.
The think-tank deployed ace midfielder Manpreet Singh in a defensive position while striker Gurjant Singh played in midfield in a few matches even as Craig Fulton's team tried out new combinations at the Pro League.
Vivek also highlighted the fact that the Indians scored field goals in the London leg of the Pro League after having found the back of the net from penalty corners earlier in the competition.
"At the London leg of the tournament, we scored goals from open play while prior to that we did well with our penalty corner conversions. Striking the right balance between field goals and short corner goals has been a big positive for us," Vivek asserted.
Harmanpreet Singh was on target with his drag flicks scoring 12 goals for India at the FIH Pro League. The Indians subsequently finished seventh in the nine-team competition with five wins from 16 matches.
"I am a good observer and can blend into a set-up pretty soon" - Vivek Prasad
Vivek Prasad described at length what it took to find a foothold in the senior squad before carving a niche amongst a plethora of talent in the Indian midfield.
"My journey (that began at the Four-Nations Tournament) in early 2018 has not been easy. Back then, I had never imagined that I would play at the Olympic Games since as a newcomer I was working hard to be good enough to cement my place in the senior squad," Vivek recalled.
"As a young player, it was important to observe and learn and that is precisely what I intended to do right from the outset," he disclosed.
Undeterred by criticism that he was blooded in too soon following India's failure to win a medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Vivek's unmistakable talent was on display at the Champions Trophy that followed.
A memorable field goal in the big final against Australia at Breda added to the youngster's credentials even as Vivek took it upon himself to blend into the Indian unit.
"I am a good observer and I can blend into a set-up pretty soon since I mingle a lot with those around me. I managed to strike a bond with all my teammates very fast. I feel these are some of the factors that have helped me over the last 6 years," Vivek Prasad reasoned.
Vivek Prasad's idol Manpreet Singh continues to spearhead the Indian midfield with players like Shamsher Singh and Hockey India's Player of the Year Hardik Singh also coming to the fore. Raj Kumar Pal will be making his Olympic debut in Paris.
Vivek revealed that all the Indian midfielders shared a good understanding as a result of having played together for nearly four years now.
"As far as the midfield is concerned, we are playing together for almost four years now. We have played several big tournaments together like the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games and we have a pretty good understanding on and off the field as well," he affirmed.
"As a result of the bonding that we share, we have a good understanding of each other's style of play. Raj Kumar Pal too has played some important tournaments and is quite experienced now. I am confident that we will perform extremely well as a midfield unit in Paris," Vivek Prasad predicted.
The Indians will play practice games in the Netherlands before heading to Paris where they take on New Zealand in their Olympic opener on July 27.
