Chennai: The young Indian players delivered an outstanding performance on Wednesday to win the bronze medal in the 14th FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup in Chennai.
The 4-2 win over Argentina, including a goal from Odisha defender Anmol Ekka, helped India end a nine-year medal drought, and strengthened hopes for the future of Indian hockey.
Delighted head coach P R Sreejesh praised his team’s remarkable comeback win against Argentina.
India faced a tough challenge against 2021 champions Argentina in the bronze-medal match at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium. After trailing by two goals, India scripted a thrilling comeback to win 4-2.
This is the first time India won a bronze medal in the Junior World Cup. They won gold medals in 2001 (in Australia) and 2016 (in Lucknow), and silver in 1997 (in England). In the 2021 (Bhubaneswar) and 2023 (Kuala Lumpur) editions, India had to settle for fourth position.
After the crushing 1-5 defeat to Germany in the semifinals, India faced Argentina in the third-place playoff match. At the end of the third quarter, India trailed 0-2. The home team turned it around in the last quarter, scoring four goals in just 12 minutes to claim a thrilling win.
Ankit Pal and Manmeet Singh struck twice from penalty corners to level the score 2-2. Shardanand Tiwari converted a penalty stroke to give India the lead for the first time. Player of the Match Anmol Ekka provided the icing on the cake by scoring the fourth goal with a powerful drag-flick.
The home World Cup was not particularly memorable for India. After one-sided wins over weaker teams in the group stage, India’s weaknesses were exposed in the knockouts. The defence looked fragile, and the players crumbled under pressure. Except for goalkeeper Princedeep Singh’s heroics in the shootout during the quarterfinal, the team’s overall performance fell short of expectations.
India defeated Chile 7-0 in the opening match before registering a historic 17-0 victory over Oman. India thumped Switzerland 5-0 to stamp their complete dominance in Pool B, scoring 29
goals in three games. Their fast, attacking play and disciplined defence made them strong contenders.
In the quarterfinals, India faced Belgium. It was an exciting contest which ended 2-2 in regulation time. India prevailed 4-3 in the shootout to reach the semifinals, thanks to crucial saves by goalkeeper Princedeep.
In the semifinal against Germany, the Indian side completely collapsed. Germany repeatedly entered the Indian circle with ease and went on to win 5-1.
In three crucial matches of the championship, opposition teams continuously split open India’s central defence. There was visible lack of coordination between the midfield and defence, allowing opponents easy access to the scoring zone.
Yet, India’s swift attacks, fitness and midfield control offered hope. The players displayed hard work, resilience and passion, though consistency was lacking. Players like Princedeep, Anmol, Adrohit Ekka, Manmeet Singh and Arshdeep Singh could become valuable assets for the senior team in near future.
Under the stewardship of two-time Olympic medallist Sreejesh, the team’s performance was encouraging.
“For the juniors, this has been a great journey. I told these players that if you can handle this kind of pressure now, it becomes your foundation — because in the future you will face the same pressure in the Olympics or other major tournaments,” said Sreejesh.
Overall, India performed well in the World Cup to give hockey lovers new hope. The losses to experienced teams also highlighted areas which need improvement, but it is clear that this generation of players has the potential to give India a new identity on the international stage.
Indian junior women’s team disappoints
On the other hand, India once again disappointed in the 11th Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup, which was held in Chile.
India began explosively, routing Namibia 13-0. But a 1-3 loss to Germany in the second pool match prevented India from qualifying for the quarterfinals.
In their last pool match, India defeated Ireland 4-0.
India has won a medal in Junior Women’s Hockey World Cup only once — a bronze in 2013.
The failure of the senior women’s team to qualify directly for the Olympics had dampened morale. The junior team’s performance now makes it clear that Indian women’s hockey needs significant improvement. The sudden resignation of women’s team head coach Harendra Singh also indicates mismanagement in the women’s setup.