Know Indian Junior men’s hockey team

GOALKEEPERS
Vikas Dahiya
Date of birth: 08/05/1995

He has played Olympics and Asia Cup. He has become a more confident player, and has played good hockey over the last one-and-a-half years. His strength is that he always takes one match at a time, doesn't think too much. He has a good athletic build, he can take any kind of load. He has great communication skills with the defenders.

Krishan B Pathak
Date of birth: 24/04/1997

In the last few tournaments, we gave him a chance and he played with a lot of confidence. He is very agile. His athletic body and quickness are his biggest strengths. On the day we were leaving for our England tour earlier this year, his father expired. Despite that, he said he wanted to play for the country. It just goes to show his mental strength.

DEFENDERS

Dipsan Tirkey (Vice-captain)
Date of birth: 15/10/1998

He has been playing well over the last two-three years, and he's a very cool customer. He is a great one-to-one tackler. He never loses his cool and confidence, which is impressive for a youngster. He's one of the trademarks of the Jharkhand school of hockey.

Harmanpreet Singh
Date of birth: 06/01/1996

He was part of the team for Rio Olympics. Besides being an effective dragflicker, one of his biggest strengths is that he is also a good tackler. Generally, dragflickers are never good tacklers. But he is one. He takes the responsibility of being one of the key defenders in the team. He can join the attack with his peripheral vision, which is really good. He is also good with cross passes.

Varun Kumar
Date of birth: 25/07/1995

He's high on confidence after scoring lots of goals in the last few tournaments. In the absence of Harman, I gave him the responsibility with penalty corners, and I'm 100 per cent satisfied with his conversion rate. Like Harman, he also has quality passes at his disposal. He is a good motivator in the team. He has a great command and understanding with the goalkeeper.

Vikramjit Singh
Date of birth: 01/04/1995

He's a multi-utility player, who can play in any position in the defensive unit. He's a good dragflicker and first runner, with a lot of potential to join the attack as well. A handy player to have in any team.

Gurinder Singh
Date of birth: 01/01/1995

He's a seasoned player, being with the junior team for the last three years. He has also played Hockey India League (HIL) regularly. He's a fun-loving guy. He can also play in any position in the defence. His one-to-one tackling is excellent as well.

MIDFIELDERS

Harjeet Singh (Captain)
Date of birth: 02/01/1996

Over a period of time, he has grown from a child to a mature boy, I can say. He's one guy who, put under any kind of pressure by the opposition, can come out of it with crisp passes. He takes the responsibility on the field as well as off it. He never loses his temper on the pitch, which is one of the best things about any leader. This is his second Junior World Cup, so he will know how to absorb the pressure.

Santa Singh
Date of birth: 11/02/1996

He's become a mature player over the years. I always say that I don't select a player according to positions. He can play in defence as well as midfield. He is very solid in defence, but he can join the attack as well. He's a multi-utility player who can play in any position in the midfield.

Nilakanta Sharma
Date of birth: 02/05/1995

Another multi-utilty guy who is one of the most skillful players in the midfield. He is a composed player. We have never seen him losing the ball under pressure. He knows how to come out of difficult situations with the ball and make the opening for the strikers.

Manpreet
Date of birth: 21/08/1995

Basically, he was a striker. But I saw some very good talent from him in the midfield. So I gave him a chance in the midfield in the Australia tour in 2014, and since then he has never looked back. It just shows the amount of potential he has, for he can play as a striker as well as a midfielder. He is very thirsty. He is nippy in the circle. He will score a goal anytime you give him a chance.

Sumit
Date of birth: 20/12/1996

He is one of the fittest players in the team, and he gives it his all on the pitch. He has very good speed with the ball, which is very rare for a player in the midfield. He has the capacity to deflate the opposition midfielders when he moves with the ball. He plays his heart out every single time.

FORWARDS

Parvinder Singh
Date of birth: 10/04/1995

He's a seasoned player. He's played for Ranchi Rays for three years and then moved to Delhi Waveriders in HIL. He has been a regular member of both the teams every year, so his confidence is high. He can score at any given time, he knows how to tackle. So his biggest strengths are tackling as well as scoring.

Gurjant Singh
Date of birth: 26/01/1995

He has been one player possessing abundance of Indian skill, which is very good. His second biggest asset is his speed and strength. His backhand scoring skills are one of the best around the world.

Armaan Qureshi
Date of birth: 01/01/1995

Since the last HIL, he has improved a lot, and his confidence has increased a couple of levels. He is one of the quickest players in the team. He is very cool and composed, and knows exactly what to do when he gets the ball. He's extremely hard-working and obedient.

Mandeep Singh
Date of birth: 25/01/1995

He has played 2014 FIH World Cup, Champions Trophy and is a regular member of the senior team. He brings in a lot of experience into this junior team with his prolific scoring capabilities. At the same time, I always call him the 'Smiling Man'. If you see his face anytime, he always smiles. He is stress-free, a fun-loving guy. He loves doing his bhangra. He brings in a lot of flavor and integrity in the team.

Ajit Kumar Pandey
Date of birth: 01/08/1995

Very few people know this strength, which is his scoring abilities from Indian skills. He is a very shy boy, but he shows a lot of talent on the field. Along with Gurjant, he has developed a great understanding with the forwards. I'll call him the surprise package of the team.

Simranjeet Singh
Date of birth: 27/12/1996

A quality forward, but he also has the capabilities of playing as a midfielder besides being the striker. He can also be the feeder for the strikes, something he does very well. But at any given time, he can show the Indian magic on the pitch as a forward as well.

SUPPORT STAFF

Coach: Harendra Singh
Assistant Coach: Roger van Gent
Manager: Roelant Oltmans
Stand-In Manager: Romeo James

1. India's show in Junior World Cup

Year Finish
2013 10th
2009 9th
2005 4th
2001 Winners
1997: Runners-up
1985: 5th
1982: 5th
1979: 5th

2. Last 5 Junior World Cup winners

Year Gold Silver Bronze

2013 Germany France The Netherlands
2009 Germany The Netherlands Australia
2005 Argentina Australia Spain
2001 India Argentina Germany
1997 Australia India Germany

3. Pools for 2016 Junior World Cup

Pool A

Argentina
Australia
Austria
South Korea

Pool B

The Netherlands
Malaysia
Belgium
Egypt

Pool C

New Zealand
Germany
Spain
Japan

Pool D

India
England
Canada
South Africa

4. India's matches

December 8: vs Canada, 7pm
December 10: vs England, 7pm
December 12: vs South Africa, 8pm

5. Knockout matches

December 14: Quarterfinal
December 16: Semifinal
December 18: Final