Junior Hockey World Cup: India colts on cusp of new era, beat Belgium to lift trophy after 15 years

The Indian colts may not yet be wearing the tag of superstars, but they have mastered the art of outsmarting opponents and handling crowd pressure at a young age like any other sporting celebrities.

This is a new-age Indian hockey as the India Under-21 lads are running faster than the Australians, holding nerves better than the Dutch and launching counter attacks better than the Germans. And all this was evident in the way the hosts overcome Australia with superior tactical skills and intensity throughout the 70-minute duration on Friday.

India play final of Junior World Cup here at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium here on Sunday after a gap of 15 years and this time the opponents are another powerhouse from Europe, Belgium.

The way Gurjant Singh and Mandeep Singh scored on counter attacks in the semifinal, the gradual process that was started by manager Roelant Oltmans one year back has started taking shape and created a pool of players for the future.

India is playing total hockey the way the European teams have been for last few decades. Indians are able to outplay their opponents in high-intensity matches, which was never its strength till now.

Coach Harendra Singh agreed that "whatever he could not do as a player, is now being imparted in boys".

"I prepared the team mentally as well as physically. Look at this bunch of juniors, are they any less in physical power or speed than any other team across the globe?" asked Harendra.

India colts are just a win away from rewriting history. Playing in front of a packed house in the final should be an ideal platform for the players chasing a dream of graduating to the senior squad.

The 15,000-strong crowd that was present during game against Australia and Spain played its part to perfection. No one around the world could expect juniors to handle such huge crowd pressure and that's where Indians are starting with an added advantage.

India has won this trophy once in 2001 in Hobart, Australia. They finished runners-up in 1997.

Harendra has asked his players to decide which colour medal they want to carry home. "December 18 match is the biggest game for these boys. I would fold my hands and request them to show their character on that day.

They need to decide which colour medal they want to see hanging in their necks," Harendra said after shoot out victory over Australia a day earlier.

On the other hand, senior team coach Roelant Oltmans, who is also here as manager of the team, is sure that Harjeet Singh-led side is ready to show their "perfect" hockey.

"The time has come for these boys to show perfect game on Sunday," said the Dutchman, who has been instrumental in ensuring a complete turnaround of Indian hockey in last one year.

India's defence has been a cause of worry for both these coaches but then goalkeeper Vikas Dahiya has stood there like a wall. With last-minute tips coming from his senior team captain, PR Sreejesh, Dahiya has shown glimpses of becoming a name for the future with his splendid saves on Friday.

And if drag-flickers, Harmanpreet Singh and Varun Kumar, could come close to what they are capable of, there is no way the final could go to the shoot out.

Belgium, on the other hand, are the most improved side in the world, having made rapid progress in both the senior and junior hockey over last one decade. And if recent results are are an indication, India colts were beaten by Belgium 2-4 in the four-nation tournament in Valencia ahead of the Junior world Cup.

Belgium has also made history here by beating sides like Holland, Germany and Argentina on their way to maiden final.

"It's been a dream for the boys. They have been working towards it for two-and-a-half years. They have sacrificed a lot, drove a lot of miles to get into training and so on," Baart said.

Just before the big final on Sunday, six-time champions Germany will take on Australia in the bronze medal clash.