We are the best in Asia; we had to prove it and live up to it; we deserved to win this — these were the recurring motifs from the narrative the Indian junior men’s hockey team set about for itself throughout the Junior Asia Cup, even before the title-clinching win against Pakistan.
It wasn’t arrogance but belief in the work the team — the players and the staff — had put in in the 18 months prior to the outing in Oman since finishing a disappointing 4th at the 2021 Junior World Cup at home. Six from that December outing in Bhubaneswar were on the field in Oman, including captain Uttam Singh — a lanky soft-spoken forward from Uttar Pradesh with refreshing candidness — and with an entirely revamped coaching staff led by veteran C.R. Kumar, the difference was as much mental as physical.
“We are the leaders now (in terms of the number of titles won in the competition) and we want to be that always. At the moment it is in Asia, next step is to be out there among the best at the World Cup,” Kumar declared after the final. It is a mindset that has rubbed off on the players as well. “We learnt from our mistakes. We scored 50 goals in the tournament. The next best was Pakistan with 35. We conceded only four, two of them against Pakistan only. We were not lucky; we earned this,” Uttam was clear.
Trusting the process
The assertiveness is not just in words. On field, goalkeeper H.S. Mohith was a replica of his idol and senior P.R. Sreejesh, pumping and punching the air, constantly alert to every move across the turf and moving himself to cover all possible angles, guiding his teammates and bringing off some incredible saves — deservedly awarded the goalkeeper of the tournament. There was a smoothness in every move the team made, a co-ordination that comes from hours of working together and trusting each other. And trusting the process.
It’s the favourite term in modern sports for elite teams and individual athletes and as much a stand-in for long-term goals as a refuge for poor results, depending on the situation. For the Indian boys, though, it was about going through the same actions over and over and over again to ensure every plan got executed on field as much through muscle memory as conscious effort.
It isn’t easy. The Indian system has been top-down for a long time with the best of resources, manpower and planning reserved for the national teams and rarely trickling down all the way to the grassroots. And we are still a long way from the cohesion through the ranks seen in the European teams. But it has at least managed to reach the junior team levels. Which means that the 18 who triumphed in Salalah, training alongside the seniors and in the same system, knew how to rein in their individuality in pursuit of a bigger goal.
That was the reason the two Indian goals in the final came off moves that saw Araijeet Singh Hundal and Angad Bir Singh playing feeders to each other after themselves receiving the ball from Aditya and Sudeep Chirmako respectively. Make no mistake, these youngsters are skilled and intelligent — Hundal, Angad and Boby Singh Dhami have been marked as ones to look out for. Chirmako and Uttam himself are no mugs inside the circle, keenly aware of positioning and space. Vishnukant Singh and Shardanand Tiwari have already earned promising senior spurs. But the big takeaway from the Asia Cup was their composure.
The difference was visible in the two finalists. Pakistan is never a pushover, in any sport at any level, specially when it is up against India. A final between the rivals is even more special and the opponents pushed hard. But there was no question on which was the better team on the day, and it was not just about skills or talent.
The difference was in the structure and planning. For India to not earn a single foul in a high-pressure game was a testament to its discipline, something coach Kumar insisted on. A veteran of Indian hockey and being in various coaching roles — seniors and juniors, men and women and a stint with Malaysian hockey as well — Kumar has seen the sport evolve from close quarters.
“Hockey is like an electronic product now, there is always something newer every day — in technology, in ideas, in creativity, in plans, in skills. These boys are intelligent but it’s my job to make sure they are up to date with whatever is happening in world hockey,” he says. It’s a far cry from the times he started assisting way back in the late 1990s, when coaching meant more a pep talk than anything else.
Even when Pakistan pulled one back, the Indians stuck to their template. There were mistakes, sure, but the boys did not get rattled or desperate. They fortified their defence, stayed clean and made occasional forays into the attack, one of which almost got a third goal for India in the dying minutes. Aerial balls, a prominent feature of the senior team as well, were used effectively. Composure and discipline were the key. It may not have been the most attractive performance but it worked.
The archrivals, on the other hand, were more traditional, which is to say fast, individually brilliant and skilful. They threatened every time they ran up with the ball — but most moves petered out for lack of support. It was exciting to watch with little result — something that Indian hockey itself struggled with for years. Even though they had been training under Siegfried Aikman for a while before the Dutchman quit for not having been paid for more than a year, and had Roelant Oltmans as a newcomer in their corner, the lack of exposure and experience showed in their coordination, with India’s superior physical fitness playing a key role.
It isn’t all great, though. Both the players and coach agree that there is still a long way to go before the team is ready for the Junior World Cup in December this year in Malaysia, which hosted the 2009 edition — also the last time the event was held outside India. While conditions were tough, the Indians know that there is room for improvement on the fitness front. “We were tired and when we made mistakes, we knew we were making them but couldn’t stop it,” Uttam has admitted.
The team also needs to cut down on turnovers and improve possession. What they got away with in the Asia Cup will be punished at the World Cup by the stronger European and Oceania sides. The forwards, good as they are, need to get sharper. Penalty corner conversion needs to improve. But for now, the leaders of Asia are in a good space. And hungry for more.
