India hockey star Rupinder Pal Singh hangs his boots

India hockey player Rupinder Pal Singh has decided to hang his boots and make way for the young brigade. Having been a part of India's historic journey to a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics, Rupinder said he is happy and content after winning a medal in the showpiece event.

Taking to Twitter, Rupinder made the announcement on Thursday. "I would like to inform you about my decision to retire from the Indian hockey team. The past couple of months have undoubtedly been the best days of my life. Standing on the podium in Tokyo along with my teammates with whom I have shared some of the most incredible experiences of my life was a feeling I will cherish forever. I believe it is time for me to make way for young and talented players to experience every great joy I have felt in these last 13 years of representing India. I have had the honour of wearing the India jersey in 223 matches and each of these matches are special for I had the privilege of playing for this great sport-loving nation," he wrote.

Rupinder also thanked his fans, Hockey India, his coaches and friends who played a big role in his journey.

It's been over a month since the Indian men's hockey team won the historic bronze medal by beating Germany 5-4 at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

Skipper Manpreet Singh believes now it's time to stop basking in the glory of the achievement in Tokyo and it's time to reset their focus and start planning for a busy 2022 calendar.

"I think these past few weeks have been great with people showering us with all their love and praises. Now, I feel it's time we rest our bodies and mind. We have enjoyed all the felicitations, the honour and accolades we received has been overwhelming but now we must start thinking about how to better ourselves for the 2022 calendar," stated the captain in an official Hockey India release earlier in the month.

With the all-important Asian Games scheduled to be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China from September 10-25, 2022, the team's top priority will be to qualify for the Paris Olympics by winning the gold at Asian Games.