It's been a little over a month since Indian Men's Hockey Team Skipper Manpreet Singh along with five other players tested positive for Covid-19. While his symptoms were mild, there were anxious times that demanded him to remain upbeat. "It was not easy, especially mentally" is his prompt response when asked to describe the time spent in hospital and subsequently going through isolation in SAI, Bengaluru while the rest of his teammates had begun sports activities.

"I have not done anything for a month and that's a long time in a sportsperson's career especially when every day is about improving and being the best," he added.

But Manpreet and five others players who tested positive for the Covid-19 virus feel fortunate to have a fantastic support system that constantly monitored their well-being. "To be honest, initially when the results came out, we were slightly stressed. But Hockey India officials, particularly the CEO, was quick to assure us of all the support and told us not to worry about hockey or how this will impact our future in the sport. She emphasized that we need to get better first and that Hockey India along with SAI would ensure best treatment and rehab. This was reassuring and true to their words, we received best facilities in the hospital with SAI sending us healthy food every day for the five days that we were in the hospital and constantly checked with the medical team there of our well-being," explained Manpreet Singh.

He emphasized that during the isolation in SAI for two weeks, they were checked on every day by Hockey India officials to know if there were any shortfalls.