Momentum on their side, a determined India would look to overcome the mighty Germany to progress to the final of the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup for the fourth time in the history of the tournament here on Thursday.
The Indians produced a spectacular display of grit and character to prevail over the Netherlands, ranked fourth in the world, in the quarterfinal on Tuesday with a thrilling 4-3 win.
Trailing 0-2 at half-time and 2-3 in the third quarter, the Indians exhibited immense resilience to beat the Dutch and set up a last-four clash against the Germans.
Skipper Uttam Singh led from the front, scoring the winner against the Netherlands three minutes from the hooter.
Uttam’s deputy, Araijeet Singh Hundal, was also up to the task, scoring twice in the match.
India captain Uttam said they are used to playing under pressure.
“We are now used to playing under pressure. Be it the Asia Cup final against Pakistan or the bronze medal match in the Sultan of Johor Cup, we have played and won under pressure.
“It’s something we have worked on, and we have developed a skill set. It also helps that five players from the existing team were part of the previous Junior World Cup, so our experience also comes in handy,” he said.
The Indians would be brimming with confidence following the come-from-behind win, but they will have to take a defensive approach and concentrate more on their strength, which is attacking hockey.
Against the Netherlands the other day, the Indians went on the back foot and were defensive initially, which cost them dearly, but they got their act together in time and played attacking hockey thereafter to secure the hard-fought win.
But the Germans would be a hard nut to crack as they mostly rely on maintaining a solid defensive structure and breach the opponent’s citadel through brisk counter attacks.
