The 22-year-old made his debut with the national team during a four-match series against Japan in 2015 but he had already made waves before that, being the top-scorer at the Sultan of Johor Cup as part of the Under-21 side.
More than his scoring prowess, however, it was his calm defending and good game sense that made people tag him as one for the future.
Since then, Harmanpreet has only added to his reputation and cemented his place in the squad, becoming the senior pro in the Indian defence line.
Although his reputation has been built on his physical strength and drag-flicking prowess, the same has not been as lethal this year. That, however, has been more than made up for by other field skills.
He has been part of every Indian campaign this year, including winning silver at the Champions Trophy and bronze at the Asian Games.
At the World Cup, he along with the other defenders — Amit Rohidas and fellow junior World Cup winner Varun Kumar — was largely responsible for keeping India in the competition all along even as the forwards failed to deliver.
His diagonal long passes and his trapping has been impeccable and his awareness on the field of space and personnel has been a revelation.
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