Learnt a lot during these four matches in South Africa, says new drag-flicker Jugraj Singh

Jugraj Singh says his India debut at the FIH Hockey Pro League has been an emotional experience and he is ready to put in the hard yards to get better as a player. The 26-year-old from Amritsar made his International debut against France during the FIH Hockey Pro League matches in South Africa last week. "Making my debut in an important event like FIH Hockey Pro League was definitely an emotional moment for me and getting a hat-trick only in my second game for India (against South Africa) was very special," he said in a release issued by Hockey India.

"It's amazing how much support I have received from the entire team and I believe there is a lot for me to learn from each of their experiences." Olympic bronze medallists India had a successful outing where they won 5-0 against France, beat South Africa 10-2 in both matches and lost 2-5 to France. "We created a lot of match scenarios when we trained in SAI, Bengaluru but to actually play against a real opponent is quite different. How we need to overcome the success or defeat in a game and quickly move on to the next one.

This was one of the most important things I learnt during this outing," Jugraj said. Coming from a humble background, Jugraj has battled many challenges in his journey to become an India player. His father worked for daily wages as a 'coolie' at the border in Attari.

The youngest of five siblings, Jugraj is the only one in the family to choose sports as a career and it was only after he shifted to a sports hostel at a young age of 11 that his life started to change. He went on to earn a job in the Indian Navy from where his career took shape, playing domestic matches. "There has been a lot of struggle and hard work to get till here and I am prepared to