Vivek Sagar Prasad is a ubiquitous and calm fabricator of India, dancing across various roles on the field—attacking midfielder, winger, defensive pivot, wing-back, and central defender positions. He is quick and calm, his head syncing with the rhythm of sticks—his own and others’—and his footwork.
He is comfortable with his back to opponents, able to play out of tight spaces, free over tackles; even when surrounded, he can glide away and instantly undertake offensive duties, where he slices past an opponent with keen-edged control.
Out of possession, he dissects threats with hawk-eyed focus, cuts off passing lanes, crunches into tackles, and breaks up play with his anticipation. Throughout the year, he has possessed an element of a great playmaking repertoire, but he has tempered some of his attacking instincts to accommodate all-round play and fight for the team’s interests.
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Vivek can fill various roles in different situations with his versatile nature as a midfielder, his leadership takes full flight when Hardik and Manpreet Singh are not on the pitch. This tells you about his growth in stature and maturity.
At 25 years old, his CV is already lucrative, featuring Olympic Bronze Medals from Tokyo and Paris, along with multiple Gold medals in Asia—honors celebrated on the night of the 7th Hockey Annual Award in New Delhi, where Field Vision embraced the opportunity to interact with Vivek Sagar.
Q:Vivek, one of the fundamental yet often overlooked aspects of sport is the work done out of possession, like pressing. You share these duties with seniors like Mandeep Singh—can you explain why they’re so important?
Answer: I’ve been following Mandeep from the start. When he scored in the 2014 World Cup, wearing the Indian jersey we had back then while playing in Holland—his celebration and playing style—he’s a goal-scoring machine. Even today, the way he presses in tough positions is incredible. We have Lalit Upadhyay and Mandeep Singh leading and securing that role. I’d say Mandeep’s role is crucial because he’s always the first to step up in defense.
If the ball goes out from the baseline, he’s there to challenge it right away, setting up our next play. I believe this comes from experience and maturity. In my view, no one beats him at pressing—he can shake up any team, no matter who they are.
Q:Vivek, you’ve shared the midfield with Manpreet Singh, a living legend of Indian hockey. What can you tell us about him and the standout elements of his game that inspire you?
Vivek: Manpreet Singh has been my hero, and that’s stuck with me from the start. I’ve watched him since I was little, trying to copy his hockey moves. Getting to play with him makes me proud—and every kid who looks up to their favorite player feels the same.
It seems like pure luck to end up on the same team as him. No question, playing with a seasoned pro brings a special thrill. When you’re on the field with them, a lot of things just fall into place. His way of putting pressure on opponents, which he’s fine-tuned since the 2012 Olympics, and how he instructs and sparks energy on the field—that’s what gives us motivation. I feel extra pumped to play alongside my hero.
Q: You’ve built a dynamic relationship with Sumit Walmiki on the left flank, but off the field, you’re a great friend. What’s it like to team up with him, and who is he beyond the game?
Vivek: I’d say Sumit Walmiki is an all-rounder. You can put him anywhere, and he gives it his all with the same results. Players like him don’t come around often in any country. We’re lucky to have someone who stays steady and gets the job done no matter where he plays. For me, it’s awesome because we click so well. We’ve played side by side for eight years straight.
I’ve known him since I was coming up—he’s older than me too. Playing with him is great, and it gets even better when you learn about his family. He loved his mom, though she’s passed on now. Even today, he talks about her and tells us stories, pushing us to think about our own moms more and talk to them with more love and affection.
Q:Vivek, specifically your role, you constantly juggle different roles—attacking with the front line, disrupting transitions in the center, or pivoting to link play, like when you step in for Manpreet Singh. Where do you feel most at home on the pitch?
Vivek: In today’s hockey, I think you need to know how to play every position. The game has become so fast that you don’t even know where you’ll start or end. You might begin on the left and finish on the right—it all depends on understanding your role. During team meetings, everyone’s role is clarified.
If you consult on it, you can easily step into that position and achieve a good outcome. Whenever I get the chance to step up, I try to meet the demands of that role. Without a doubt, I always focus to fill any gap that’s needed. I am an attacking player, but I am tasked with filling the needs of the team’s interest.
That’s how I play now, though I’m also responsible for defending. Our current coach, who’s an experienced former player of the team, believes our mantra is ‘defense to win.’ We had to secure that. If we protect our own home, only then can we score in the opponent half and secure a victory.
Personally, I prefer attacking, but I make an effort to defend our fort first before motion to the offensive action.
Q:Vivek, do you recall your first game against New Zealand at the Paris Olympics, when the midfield struggled to connect, and you took charge—controlling the pace, carrying the ball, and holding your ground—before Mandeep set you up for the second goal? Can you tell us about that match?
Vivek: It was the first match against New Zealand. The first game doesn’t determine where you’ll finish, but it does set the tone for how you’ll finish because that’s where your boost comes from. The opening match of any tournament is critical. It was the same for me.
When that goal happened—when you score, deliver good passes, or assist in the first match for your team—your confidence rises. That confidence fuels even better passes. It was the same for me. After scoring, I made sharper passes, which helped our team win.
Q: Can you describe the differences in playing styles between Europe’s mechanical approach and your transition to facing Asian teams, which focus on defense as seen in the Asian Champions Trophy?
Vivek: European teams have a specific style—they focus on ball possession and pass it around a lot. In difference, Asian hockey follows a different pattern; it’s more direct. We have to push harder because we’re number one in Asia, and we push harder. Every Asian team stays motivated to defeat India—it’s a challenge for us. It’s a healthy challenge, and we strive & ensure to maintain our top spot in Asia.
In the Asian Champions Trophy in China, the home team had a good advantage given they were playing in front of a sold-out crowd—but we had strong motivation from our consistent performance and recent Olympic success. Eleven players from that Olympic squad were playing, which was a positive sign that we could win the final.
Still, they put us in tough situation, China made life difficult for us until the very end with their discipline but Jugraj pushed into attack in the final moments and scored the winning goal.
Q: Coach Craig Fulton, with his ‘Defend to Win’ philosophy, leaned on an experienced backline during the Asian Champions Trophy. When key player Sumit Walmiki was ruled out mid-tournament and replaced by junior team player Amir Ali, you two showed great chemistry on the wider defensive side. Can you tell us more about that?
Vivek: I think Amir is not only a great player but also a capable captain. He’s led the Indian Junior Team to an Asian Cup victory and continues to perform well. Without a doubt, Amir will become a key player for India and could emerge as one of the best defenders—I’m confident of that. When you’re guiding a mature player, you don’t need to say much. Eye-to-eye contact is enough, and they get it. Amir is one of those players with excellent understanding. He grasps what a teammate needs quickly, and that made it very easy for me to play with him.
Q: You’ve played under Graham Reid, who aimed to dominate all four quarters, and now you’re with Craig Fulton on the national team and Jeroen Baart in the Hockey India League. Can you describe their coaching styles and training methods?
Vivek: Graham Reid’s style is about staying charged up, especially by the fourth quarter—that’s what made it unique. Craig Fulton’s approach focuses on reducing attacks while keeping our quality sharp to strike up front. With Jeroen Baart, it’s a different flavor too. In training, some like small games, while others focus on explaining the structure clearly. The key is intensity—it’s up to us to keep it high.
Different coaches bring different styles. They come from various backgrounds, and there’s no doubt that wherever they’re from, they all try to give their best. For us, once we reach this level, adapting to any structure becomes easy because we’ve played so much and are at this stage.
Still, with coaches, their core approach—structure-wise—stays largely the same; only a few elements shift during the match. And undoubtedly, every coach tries their best to uplift their team to the top.
Q: India has a reputation in the Pro-League of performing better in the second game against an opponent after struggling in the first. Can you explain the technical aspects of this pattern?
Vivek: Yes. The clarity comes because when you play the first game and lose, you enter the next one with a fresh spark, thinking, ‘We lost to them.’ A different energy kicks in, like, ‘We have to beat them and come out on top.’ There’s no fixed target as such; after the first match, we gain clarity for the second—what didn’t we do? Where are they attacking from most?
So, we block that area. We analyze each member of the opposition team. There’s no doubt we are good at this—everyone in the team quickly understands and figures out the solution to defeat the opponent team.
Q:In the Pro-League matches where the coach preferred Nilakanta Sharma over you. How does this competition affect you?
Vivek: On the competition aspect, we’ve been playing together for years, and even today, there’s competition in every match. We don’t have a mindset of ‘he’s playing more’ or ‘this one’s playing more.’ At the end of the day, it comes down to how much of our best we’ve given and how much it’s benefited our Indian team. Because as soon as a match ends, we discuss and give feedback on what we could have done better.
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