The Tribune: India colts enter big fight as favourites

Hosts looking to make amends for dismal 10th-place finish in last edition

By Indervir Grewal

As the countdown clock for the hockey Junior World Cup winds down, the excitement levels are reaching a crescendo. Unlike the senior World Cup, the junior event, apart from the excitement of watching an intense battle for the title, also brings along an opportunity to discover the future stars.

The princes of hockey have already started descending on the City of Nawabs (Lucknow), each eager to prove that he is a worthy contender to become the future king of the sport. But perhaps no other country would be as eager to show their supremacy as India — they are not only hosting the event for the second time in a row but also are the favourites. With the favourites tag comes the pressure. And it could get pretty unnerving — India finished a dismal 10th in New Delhi three years ago.

“Obviously, there is the pressure of the World Cup, but we are embracing it,” said India’s drag-flicker Harmanpreet Singh. “The pressure of being the host team is also there, but the senior team motivated us in Bengaluru (during the teams’ national camps).”

“We are not feeling any tension; on the contrary, we are enjoying ourselves. There is a lot of hard work going into our training and we are feeling confident. In fact, there is a lot of excitement, we can’t wait for the tournament to start. We have worked hard for this event for over two years and, finally, it is time to play. We want to show the world how good we are,” said Harmanpreet, who was also a part of the senior team that participated in the Rio Olympics.

Strong team

Given how dominant they have been in the last two years, the Indian team will the one to beat. Much like the team from the last edition, which had 12 players from Punjab, this one has 10 — all former trainees of Surjit Academy (Jalandhar) — and four from Haryana. The drag-flicking department is handled by defenders Harmanpreet and Varun Kumar. The third defender is the very disciplined and talented Dipsan Tirkey. The strongest feature of the team is its midfield, which is marshalled by captain Harjeet Singh, who will be playing his second junior World Cup. Another player for whom it will be the second World Cup is Mandeep Singh. Mandeep, who has played for the senior team, will spearhead the attack.

Quarters, the first goal

In the last edition, India failed to qualify for the quarterfinals after finishing third in their pool. Grouped with England, Canada and South Africa and with two teams from each group qualifying for the quarters, the hosts should make the knockouts without much trouble this time. If they qualify, India will face a team from Pool C, which comprises two-time defending champions Germany, New Zealand, Spain and Japan.