JOIN USConfident India target winning start
India will have their noses ahead when they begin their campaign at the 11th Junior Hockey World Cup against Canada at the Major Dhyanchand hockey stadium here on Thursday.
Hopes are high and so are expectations — after all it has been 15 years since Gagan Ajit Singh and his boys claimed the title in Hobart with victory over Argentina.
While the side then had quality players like Gagan, Deepak Thakur, Jugraj Singh and Prabhjot Singh, all of whom went on to make a name at the senior level, it’s no different this time. The likes of Harmanpreet Singh, Vikas Dahiya (both of whom played at the Rio Olympics), Mandeep Singh and Harjeet Singh have already impressed during their time with the seniors early this year.
Apart from the four, the team will also look up to drag-flicker Varun Kumar and forward Aarman Qureshi, who have been in fine form coming into the World Cup.
Placed in Pool D, India’s second game is against England on December 10 before they square off against South Africa in their last pool tie on December 12. And should the home team finish in top two in the pool, their quarterfinal opponent will be from Pool C that includes defending champions Germany, New Zealand and Spain.
The last time India hosted the event in 2013, things didn’t go well for Manpreet Singh and Co as they finished a disappointing 10th out of the 16 participating teams. Lack of exposure was cited as a reason for their pool display and this time the management has ensured that the team – led by Harjeet Singh – has had enough exposure under their belt.
The colts have travelled well in the past three years. Apart from a handful of tours to Malaysia, India played in the Australian Hockey League, finishing fourth, and also won an invitational tournament in Spain, where they beat Germany en route to the summit.
Having said that, the teams here do not have a clear idea about their rivals and that poses a difficulty. “Yes, that’s a challenge,” admitted Ben Bishop, the chief coach of the Australian team. “Not many have played at the senior level and an age-group game barely gets coverage. So the only way we can prepare is to perfect our skill and work towards solving every possible challenge that we could face.”
In the larger context, the Junior World Cup assumes an important role. The Rio Olympics is done with and world hockey has begun new cycle with Tokyo 2020 being the goal. Teams around the world too have begun charting out plans and programmes with that target in mind and as such, the Lucknow event could well be a platform to identify the future stars.
Groupings: Pool A: Argentina, Australia, Austria, South Korea
Pool B: Belgium, Egypt, Malaysia, Netherlands
Pool C: Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Spain
Pool D: Canada, England, India, South Africa
Today’s action: New Zealand vs Japan (11:30 am), Germany vs Spain (1:30 pm), England vs South Africa (3:30 pm), India vs Canada (7:00 pm).
(All matches live on Star Network).