Hockey Legends Laud Junior World Cup Winning Team

New Delhi: Accolades have been pouring in for the Indian colts who recently won the Junior Hockey World Cup on home turf, with former hockey greats and senior team members lauding the efforts of the team. This is India's second ever junior World Cup victory, and first after a decade and a half.

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Former senior team captain Viren Rasquinha, a member of the 2001 junior world cup winning squad, feels this talented bunch is ferociously knocking on the door of the national side and will take Indian hockey to greater heights.

"It was a fabulous win for the junior team who were the best team throughout the competition. And what makes this title win even more special is the fact that as many as three victories have come from positions where we were trailing in the match. It says a great deal about the mentality of these players", Rasquinha told News 18.

1980 Olympic Gold Medallist Zafar Iqbal too expressed his excitement by calling it a team which has the talent to pull-off something spectacular at Tokyo 2020.

"These are the players who will represent India on the world stage in the near future and although the next Olympics is too far away at the moment, but with some minor tweaks here and there, this should be the squad to aim for glory in Tokyo", the legendary Indian Hockey player told News 18.

'A student is as good as his teacher’-- this phrase fits the bill perfectly, as far as the colts' performance under the eagle eyes of coaches like Harendra Singh and Roelant Oltmans, is concerned.

"The fitness levels of these players is very impressive and they seem to outpace their opponents in every match. The entire credit of their physical and mental fitness should go to Harendra Singh and Roelant Oltmans", said Rasquinha.

Senior team member VR Raghunath pointed out the importance of having tournaments like Hockey India League (HIL) in the country that is helping in shaping up the future of Indian hockey.

"Playing against the best players of the world and sharing dressing room with them has helped the junior team to learn the skills of how to play in big tournaments", the Indian ace drag-flicker Raghunath told News 18.

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