Indian hockey team vice-captain Hardik Singh vividly remembers being a 14-year-old ball boy during the 2011 Hockey India League matches at the Olympian Balbir Singh Senior International Hockey Stadium in Mohali. Fifteen years later, he returns to the same venue to represent India at the Asian Champions Trophy, this time as the national team’s vice-captain.“I was just 14 when I was a ball boy in HIL. I would watch the players play in awe. Back then, I thought I might reach the state level. Becoming India’s vice-captain was something I had never imagined,” he told The Tribune.Hardik also recalled meeting Australian hockey legend Jamie Dwyer, whom he approached for a photograph. “He told us, ‘Hopefully, you will also play at such tournaments one day,’” Hardik said.Hardik’s hockey journey began in Khusropur village in Jalandhar, where he accompanied his grandfather, Pritam Singh, to the ground and practised under his guidance. His dedication was such that he often skipped family wedding celebrations to ensure he did not miss practice.Hardik’s father, Varinderpreet Singh Rai, Superintendent of Police in Punjab, said he had wanted to see the Olympic rings in his home. When he could not fulfil that dream himself, he hoped Hardik would reach the highest level in hockey. Hardik is the grandnephew of Gurmail Singh, a member of India’s gold-winning team at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.Having won two Olympic medals, Hardik has fulfilled his grandfather’s dream, with the Olympic rings now adorning the family home. Though Pritam Singh passed away in 2017, his influence remains central to Hardik’s life.“Whenever he goes to play a match, he bows before his grandfather’s photograph,” Varinderpreet said, crediting his father’s dream and blessings for Hardik’s success.