How Uttam Singh Has Been Impressive With his Goal-Creating & Goal-Scoring Prowess

The value Uttam Singh brings so much to the Tamil Nadu Dragons’ table can never be underestimated. The 21-year-old Uttar Pradesh lad has been steadily enhancing his reputation for not just scoring goals but as a goal-creator as well. He has hit the groove in the 6th Men’s Hockey India League, but it hasn’t been a smooth sailing for the youngster as he came into the HIL recuperating from a foot injury that had consigned him to the sidelines for six weeks.

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Uttam had sustained a foot injury during the final of the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy against China at Rajgir – a tournament India won with consummate ease – he was one of the big positives of that tournament scoring 4 goals, including one in the semifinal against South Korea. Coming back from an injury and hitting peak form is never a piece of cake and the resilience of the Uttar Pradesh lad has come to the fore in the 6th Men’s Hockey India League, where he has meaningful contributions on the pitch be it in the forwardline or rushing back to help the deep defence.

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Uttam’s goal-creating abilities as well as his scoring prowess was in full display at the 6th Men’s Hockey India League. He was the standout performer in Tamil Nadu Dragons’ 2-1 win over Rarh Bengal Tigers – the manner in which he smartly controlled an aerial pass from Great Britain & England midfielder Thomas Sorsby and weaved down the baseline from the left to set up Selvam Karthi for an early opening goal was a sight to behold.

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He produced the match-clincher against the Tigers pulling off a clinical pass of a dazzling pass from the right by German midfielder Moritz Ludwig that was subsequently relayed to him by Australian Blake Govers. His goal-creating prowess was again on show in their 2-0 win over UP Rudras, where he orchestrated a nifty move from the right to set up Thomas Sorsby for the insurance goal in the dying seconds of the match.

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Hailing from the Karampur district of Uttar Pradesh, Uttam had to walk down the ‘Adversity’ road of course, not by chance. Belonging to an economically disadvantaged family, the youngster braved out all the challenges coming his way and pursued hockey diligently. He joined the Ludhiana Hockey Academy where he honed his hockey skills and forced his way into the Indian junior team in 2019 on the back of a string of consistent performances in the national circuit.

Uttam made his senior international debut against Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cup at Muscat – a tourney he had scored 2 goals as a greenhorn. He had captained Indian at the 2021 Junior World Cup, where India had finished 4th – he scored the match-winner in the 4-3 win over the Netherlands in the quarterfinals. He also featured in the 2021 Junior World Cup, where India had also finished 4th. The youngster had also captained India at the 2023 Sultan of Johor Cup to a bronze-medal finish. “Uttam is a very intelligent player and he understands how to work together in a team. He was initially a bit rusty coming off a foot injury but has settled well now. He had a great game against the Tigers contributing with one goal and one assisted goal and we are excited to have him our team,” says Tamil Nadu Dragons’ chief coach Rein Van Eijk.

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Uttam as Rein points out, has the makings of someone who can serve the national team really well in the future. “From a skill perspective, Uttam has all the ingredients of a good forward. But he isn’t the tallest striker and when he is up against big defenders, he must adapt and overcome the physical disadvantages. If he is able to cope with that, I’m very excited to see where his journey will end up for the next four years going towards the Olympics,” says the Dutchman, who had spent a lot of time in various coaching roles in the German hockey set up.

Uttam on his part, would look to raise the improvement bar and emerge as the next big thing of the Indian forwardline.