While India were ripping apart the Canadian defence in their opening encounter of 11th FIH Junior Hockey World Cup on Thursday, former India player Prabhjot Singh could not help but revisit India’s title triumph in the same event 15 years back in Hobart.
He was part of the team that created history in Australia and watching young Indian players thrash Canada 4-0 at Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Lucknow was like a trip down the memory lane for this Indian Oil Corporation forward.
“I can relate Indian team of 2001 to the present lot (current junior men’s hockey team of India). This team comprised players, who have enough national and international exposure. Most of these players have already played 30-40 international matches at junior level. A few of them even represented India at the top level including Olympics. The same was the case when we embarked upon our journey in 2001,” Prabhjot said.
The Gurdaspur-born player believes the current Indian team has the potential to bring the Junior World Cup trophy back home after 15 years.
“Given the team combination, this Indian team can repeat our feat. The team boasts of internationals like dragflicker Harmanpreet Singh, goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya, captain Harjeet Singh and striker Mandeep Singh,” the Olympian added.
He and his teammates gave Indian hockey a new lease of life 15 years ago. But it was not easy and Prabhjot will always vouch for it. Unlike the present, they faced numerous challenges including extreme climatic conditions to make it possible.
From the energy-sapping heat of Chennai to the freezing cold of Hobart
It might have been 15 years since Prabhjot and Company won the title but memories of that remarkable achievement are still fresh in Prabhjot’s mind.
“The triumph changed our lives completely. We were immediately inducted into the senior side. We were treated like heroes on our return. But the buildup to the event and our struggle in Hobart was something that can never be forgotten.”
The team camped in Chennai to prepare for the tournament and the Arjuna awardee cannot forget the scorching heat they had to fight with while preparing for the event.
“Chennai weather was taking its toll on us and the food was also not according to our liking especially for the players hailing from North India. We never changed the menu and had biryani almost everyday in Chennai,” said Prabhjot reminiscing the days he spent in the southern city during the camp.
The struggle didn’t end there as the team members found a contrasting weather when they landed in Hobart for the tournament.
“The change in weather was the first thing we have to come to terms with. Though we got time to acclimatise but it was not easy. Coincidentally, our struggle with food continued in Australia as like Chennai, we survived on pizzas during our stay in Hobart,” added the hockey Olympian.
Loss to Australia served as an eye-opener
After topping their pool in round 1, India colts were held to 2-2 draw by Argentina in their first match of round 2. India lost the next match to Australia 2-1 making their survival in the tournament even more difficult.
“Before the loss to Australia, we were flying high believing nobody can beat us. But the defeat brought us back to the ground. The defeat made our next encounter against mighty Dutch (Netherlands) a must-win match. And as was expected, the game went down to the wire as Netherlands equalised three times but we managed to score one more to win the tie 4-3 and enter semifinals,” remembered Prabhjot.
India then defeated Germany 3-2 in the first semifinal and lifted the trophy in style by hammering Argentina 6-1 in the summit clash.
History was made but had it not been the loss against Australia, ‘complacency’ would have cost India dearer.
Penalty corners hold the key
Coincidentally, India started their campaign in 2001 World Cup with a thumping 5-0 victory over Canada. The hosts thrashed the same opponents 4-0 in their opener in the ongoing World Cup and followed it up by defeating England 5-3 on Saturday in their next group stage match,
But Prabhjot asserted India should forget the win and concentrate on upcoming matches if they wish to advance to the knockout stage.
“Top teams like England, Germany and Australia will not let you pump in goals from the field. Their defensive structure makes it difficult for the rivals to score field goals. They go with man-to-man marking making life difficult for the strikers. In order to against these sides, we need to create more short-corner opportunities. We have Harmanpreet, who has impressed everyone with his drag-flicking ability. We should go for short corners against big opponents as most of the games are decided by penalty corners these days,” suggested Prabhjot.
Hockey India League made the players tough and mature
Hockey India League has given junior India players an opportunity to rub shoulders with international stars and Prabhjot has no doubt that the experience will come handy in the ongoing tournament.
“No doubt they will feel the pressure. Playing in front of home crowd means these players will be expected to win every match. Pressure will be there on our players but most of them know how to deal with the situation. Thanks to HIL, these junior players no longer fear the opponents or crowd. They are quite used to attention and expectations.”
India are hosting the event for the second consecutive time. New Delhi hosted the last edition in 2013, where Germany won their sixth title beating France 5-2 in the final.
The hosts are placed in Pool D alongside Canada, England and South Africa. Harjeet Singh-led side will play against South Africa in their last pool fixture on Monday.
India are almost through to the quarters and Prabhjot Singh cannot wait to watch if India can make a repeat of 2001.
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