An ankle injury suffered during a match against South Korea in the fourth Asian Champions Trophy not only forced India’s ace custodian and skipper PR Sreejesh to miss the final of the event but also the Australia tour.
He is not alone in the list of injured players as key players including SV Sunil and Manpreet Singh also suffered injuries that sidelined them for months since the Rio Olympics.
The bulging list of injured players might be a cause of concern for the administrators of the game in India but it is also an opportunity for talented youngsters to make their way into the senior side.
The ongoing Junior World Cup could serve as a perfect platform for these India aspirants to showcase their skills and impress selectors to gain entry into the senior national squad.
The current junior team, who on Thursday edged past Spain to reach the semi-finals, is abound with such players and they might soon get a call from the senior team given the key events lined up for next two years.
Non-ending season
India have been playing non-stop hockey ever since the commencement of the year. The tiring season started with the fourth season of the Hockey India League in January and February followed by the 12th South Asian Games in Guwahati.
The team then featured in back-to-back events including reputed tournaments like the 25th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup Invitational Tournament in April, followed by the men’s Champions Trophy in June.
They, then, played in the Six Nations Invitational Tournament in Valencia in June and continued the Spain tour by playing in Madrid in July. What followed next was sport’s biggest extravaganza, the Rio Olympics. A month’s rest and then followed the Asian Champions Trophy and the Australia tour.
The next two years will be no different as senior Indian players will play in Round 2 of the Hockey World League semi-finals, the 10th Men’s Asia Cup and World League final Round 4 apart from representing their respective franchisees in the HIL in 2017. The year 2018 will bring more important events with it, as the Commonwealth Games will be played on the Gold Coast in Australia in the first quarter, followed by the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia. The year will end with the Hockey World Cup in India in November.
Making the big leap
Back in 2001, 13 players from Junior World Cup-winning squad found a place in the senior team. The tournament has given India talented players like Deepak Thakur, Prabhjot Singh, Arjun Halappa and Gagan Ajit Singh.
It might be the case again as ageing players in the senior side would gradually make way for their younger counterparts in next two years to complete the transition phase.
A few of these junior players though have already represented India at top level but they would look to cement their place further by impressing all and sundry in the Lucknow event.
The bright prospects
Mandeep Singh, striker
The senior-most player in the current junior team, Mandeep Singh, is desperate to regain his place in the senior national side. The striker from the Surjeet Singh Hockey Academy grabbed eyeballs with his goal scoring ability in the inaugural edition of HIL. The performance earned him an immediate call-up from the senior team for the Hockey World League Round 1 in Fiji.
Injuries, however, kept him in and out of the side. He last played for the senior side in the Champions Trophy in London earlier this year. He missed the Rio Olympics due to finger injury and the disappointment continued as he suffered a hamstring injury delaying his comeback further.
Mandeep has already struck two goals in the event and a good show from hereon will guarantee him a place in the senior team to make up for the lost time.
Harmanpreet Singh, defender
He was touted as the next big thing in Indian hockey following his impressive show in the junior team and the HIL. As was expected, he made his way into the senior side and even played more than 20 games for the national team
He has already been nominated for the 2016 Rising Star of the Year award from the International Hockey Federation. He was also part of the Indian team that participated in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Given his drag-flicking ability, this Amritsar-born player will soon be a regular part of Indian team.
Harjeet Singh, midfielder
Another player from the Surjeet Singh Hockey Academy, Harjeet Singh was given the command of the junior Indian team for the World Cup. The midfielder has played more than a dozen matches for the senior side.
Harjeet Singh led the colts in Valencia in October where they won the Four Nations Invitational Tournament beating Germany in the final. He was also named the “Jugraj Singh Upcoming Player of the Year (Men – 21)” at the Hockey India Annual Awards and was rewarded for his consistency with a call-up for the senior men’s squad for the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament.
He was also part of the Indian senior men’s team that won the silver medal at the Champions Trophy this year.
Harjeet Singh has led the team brilliantly in the ongoing team so far. He has also scored once in the event. He will be expected to lead the India colts to World Cup glory after 15 years and if he manages to do it, there would be no stopping for this young player.
Vikas Dahiya, goalkeeper
Vikas was also part of Indian squad for the Rio Olympics. He has been brilliant in front of the goal post so far in the marquee event.
Dahiya must have learnt the nuances of goalkeeping from his senior counterpart PR Sreejesh during his month-long stay in Rio de Janeiro and soon he will be ready to step into the ace custodian’s shoes.
Simranjeet Singh, forward
The Punjab midfielder has scored two goals in the tournament so far. It was his goal against Spain that helped hosts India draw parity against Spain in the quarter-final. A lot will ride on him and India’s forward line in the remaining matches of the tournament and Simranjeet will not be far from booking his place in national team if he continues his sparkling show in the event.
Manpreet Singh, midfielder and Armaan Qureshi, forward
Both Manpreet and Armaan have been pretty impressive in the junior circles in recent past. They have been the backbone of the team of late. The duo, though, have yet not debuted for the senior side but they have a golden opportunity in their hand to push their case and make the selectors take notice of their performance by helping India win the trophy that eluded them for 15 years.
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