Indian Express: Hockey India League: Junior hockey players move from fringes to the forefront

By Shahid Judge

Sparingly used last season, Junior India players will form the core of their teams in the new HIL season starting Saturday.

Florian Fuchs gets there first. The ball lay idle by the 25-yard line of the MHA Stadium in Mumbai, where the Dabang Mumbai team is practicing. The German is the first to react to make the ball his. That, though, doesn’t stop Manpreet from barging into Fuchs, shoulder to shoulder, throwing his stick to the ball and whisking it away in one of those barely-legal tackles. Fuchs pauses for a moment, a look of bewilderment on his face, before giving chase.
Moments later, Nilakanta Sharma, who had last year developed a reputation of being quiet and reserved, shouts for the ball from Australian Kieran Govers – a double World Cup winner, Champions Trophy winner, and bronze medallist at the 2012 Olympics. The tall, tattooed forward complies. Sharma calmly collects, dodges his marker and flicks the ball over the goalkeeper.

On the other end of the field, Gurjant Singh is practicing reverse hits, from tight angles, against goalkeeper Krishan Pathak. The routine brings back memories of the spectacular goal he scored from a similar angle just last month in the final of the junior World Cup. It’s earned him a moniker bestowed upon him by one of the game’s most prominent strikers. “Florian calls me ‘Mr Backhand,’” Gurjant says, smiling.

Each of the five boys in the Mumbai franchise, who recently returned after winning the junior World Cup, has a new title. “’Champion’ bulate hai,” says drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh.

Every Hockey India League (HIL) season begins with the hype of a new international star signing up for a team. Two years ago, it was Tom Boon of Belgium. Last year it was Fuchs himself. But this time, the focus is on the group of 18 that won the junior world title. “You played well to win a good tournament. People will look towards you to make an impact. The target now is to maintain that and get better,” adds Harmanpreet.

The body language has changed, drastically. There is more fluidity in their thinking process and a greater confidence in their skills. “There’s a different understanding between them now. They’re passing better, moving much better. They aren’t second-guessing themselves now,” says Fuchs, who will skipper the Dabang Mumbai team this year.
That’s a trait that will be expected from the group that won India’s first junior world title since 2001. And as the group prepares themselves for their first appearance since the historic win in Lucknow, they’re widely expected to be the leading figures at HIL. “The difference this year will be made by the juniors,” asserts the colts team’s head coach Harendra Singh, who takes charge of the Ranchi Rays in the HIL. “Public, media, and their own teams, everyone is expecting it. But I’ve always told them, junior World Cup is just the beginning. They don’t just have to play for the senior team now, they have to win medals.”

This comes as a stark difference to what was seen from them last year. In the Mumbai team, Manpreet, Sharma and Pathak started on the bench. They were granted a few minutes on the pitch in a handful of matches – and they impressed in those. Manpreet settled well in midfield, holding the ball and distributing it effectively. Nilkanta added to his own midfield activity two thumping field goals. Parvinder Singh and Ajit Kumar Pandey from the Delhi Waveriders and Punjab Warriors respectfully also served with fringe roles, while Vikas Dahiya, who stood was the custodian in the World Cup final, didn’t play in the HIL last season. Meanwhile, their colleagues in the junior team, the likes of Harmanpreet, skipper Harjeet Singh (Delhi), Mandeep Singh (Delhi) and Simranjeet Singh (Ranchi) whose goal in the final against Belgium proved to be the winner, held bigger roles for their HIL franchises.

“Last year they had minutes on the field. They were serviceable and did their job. Now they have higher expectations from themselves. They want to make the game rather than just participate in it. They have that feeling now that they belong here,” says Jay Stacy, Dabang Mumbai coach. Although limited, the HIL exposure has helped the juniors. It allowed them to rub shoulders, share dressing rooms, and discuss strategies with stalwarts of the game – experiences that gave them greater confidence, and even momentum when they went into the quadrennial event last month. Ranchi Rays skipper Ashley Jackson keeps his assessment simple: “HIL is the reason why the juniors won the World Cup.”
It’s a format that has ticked all the required boxes, be it financial award, top class facilities for training and accommodation, international star players, and it has remained true to its support of upcoming Indian talent. But it isn’t the first experiment in the sport. The World Series Hockey (WSH) was tried and failed a few years ago. The Premier Hockey League (PHL) flopped even before that. “Those tournaments were more about players who were discarded or didn’t play much in the national team. They were just because we wanted to have a league of sorts. HIL brought in professionalism.

There were auctions to bring in the big players who were in demand. And it had a long term plan for the juniors to feature in it too,” explains Harendra.

A mentality change too came about in the junior players’ training in the HIL, yet more so through their own experiences in the junior team. Sharma remembers an alarm that grew within the players when the core group was cut down from 33 to 25 two months before the World Cup.

“We realised the strong competition and that we can’t take things easy. Abhi bhi waisa hai. We worked hard for what we achieved, and we won’t give it up that easily,” he says. It’s a mentality that finds the now “boys turned men,” as Harendra calls them, fearlessly challenge the seniors for both ball possession and a spot on the team. “If the seniors see us as a threat to their place, they will work harder. And they respect us for giving them that push too,” says Gurjant.

The journey towards the World Cup started over two years ago. On the way the team bonded, staying together at all times – save for the month-long period at the beginning of the year where they would split up into the six HIL franchises. At the end of that journey, they all became champions. And it’s a thought they’re constantly reminded of as well. Sharma remembers receiving a phone call from Harendra a few weeks ago. He laughs at how his coach starts the conversation. “Kya haal hai, Champ?”

Opening game: Dabang Mumbai vs Ranchi Rays, On Star Sports 2 and 3 19:00 HRS