NEW DELHi, May 22 -- In January, Manpreet Singh's name was not included in the core probables for the national camp. In his 15-year career, it was the first time the ex-India skipper was not part of the list from which the Indian team is selected. While Hockey India (HI) and Manpreet maintained that the 33-year-old was rested on his own request, the reality was different. The veteran midfielder, along with a couple of others, were dropped for disciplinary reasons for an incident that had occurred during the tour of South Africa in December 2025. The two-time Olympic bronze medallist missed both the Rourkela and Hobart legs of the Pro League but then returned to the national camp, improving his chances for an India return. "It's a great feeling when you come back to your squad. Representing India has always been the biggest thing for me. It's been so long since I played. Ever since I came back, there's been a lot of eagerness, excitement and energy to do my best for my team, country, family. It felt really good coming back," said Manpreet, who last played for India in December 2025. "I spoke to Dilip sir. He said that 'if you're fit and doing well, we don't have any problem with you continuing. If you want to break the record, then play'. He said he wants me to play longer. There is no problem." While the Khel Ratna awardee kept denying that he was dropped, the "disturbing outside noise" did take a toll. "A lot of things were going on. It was all noise. Of course, it does affect you. But you can't pay attention to those things," said Manpreet, who led India back to the Olympic podium after 41 years in 2021. "Controversies happen with all players, whether it's Virat (Kohli), Rohit (Sharma), (Cristiano) Ronaldo or (Lionel) Messi. But what's important is how do we get out of that and focus on things in our control. I stayed away from social media, spent time with my family. I travelled with my children to Malaysia (his wife is Malaysian), Thailand, UAE. That brought me a lot of joy." Manpreet also credited conversations with mental health expert Paddy Upton, who has been working with the Indian team, in overcoming the period. "We discussed a lot about focus and what to concentrate on, about forgetting certain things and moving on to the next thing. That makes life simple. By directing our focus, we can cut out the noise," said Manpreet. During his time at home, Manpreet, 33, channeled his energies to make sure he maintained his level of fitness. He ran every day in his village of Mithapur, went to the gym twice a day, maintained his diet and followed his fitness routine to ensure his fitness levels never dropped. A four-time Olympian who made his debut in 2011, there has been a lot of speculation about Manpreet's future too. The midfielder made it clear that he wants to continue till the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. "Looking at my fitness, I feel that I can go till LA. But before that my goals are the World Cup and Asian Games. Then we'll see. The World Cup is very important," said Manpreet....