In a hockey nation where most players are obsessed with dribbling, it comes as a pleasant surprise that India captain Manpreet Singh does not like to dodge too much. "I have always enjoyed distributing the ball around, right from my younger days," Manpreet, 26, said after a training session at the Kalinga Stadium yesterday.

It's for this season he picked the centre half position rather than a striker. "I do not like to carry the ball too much. I'm not the kind of player who always wants to score. I enjoy providing assists. If any of our player scores a goal, I'm happy but if someone scores from my assist I'm most happy," he added.