The Indian men’s hockey team clinched its fifth Asian Champions Trophy after defeating hosts China in a tightly played final earlier this week.
It was a clinical show from the Olympic bronze medalists as they won all seven matches and dominated the tournament completely.
Indian coach Craig Fulton decided to rest the likes of Hardik Singh and instead gave an extended run to a few Indian youngsters such as Araijeet Singh Hundal, Uttam Singh, Amir Ali, and Gurjot.
Uttam and Araijeet delivered the goods on multiple occasions while Gurjot and Amir were promising in their roles as well.
The Bridge dissects the performances of Indian youngsters in the Asian Champions Trophy.
Table of Contents
Uttam Singh
International Senior Caps: 14 | Goals: 6
Uttam Singh is a known name for Indian hockey fans given his exploits at the junior level as the skipper of the junior national team. He led India to a famous Sultan of Johor Cup win in 2022 defeating Australia in the final.
While he made his debut in the 2022 Asia Cup and went on to win the ‘Rising Player of the tournament’ award, this was his first extended run in the senior national team.
The UP native scored four goals in the Asian Champions Trophy and his style of poaching the goals close to goalpost or near the goal line caught the eyes of the fans.
Uttam blended seamlessly with the senior team and his role in the team varied across games. From being a ball carrier in the circle to positioning himself as the poacher, he displayed a range of skills.
With good positional awareness and robust ball-carrying skills, Uttam has all the ingredients to become a versatile player in the Indian setup who can execute multiple roles in different situations.
Araijeet Singh Hundal
International Senior Caps: 19 | Goals: 5
Araijeet Singh Hundal was integrated into the senior team by Craig Fulton after the Asian Games due to his tall frame and exceptional shot-taking ability.
After struggling to adapt to the intensity of the senior team, Hundal finally looked in a comfortable space scoring three goals in the tournament.
The young forward from Punjab used his tall frame brilliantly to outmuscle the defenders on multiple occasions and showcased his dribbling skills.
He also displayed an extensive shooting range using various techniques in different situations making him a lethal scoring weapon from open play.
However, Hundal is still slow in reacting and transition making him an easy option to be marked tightly by defenders. And needless to say, that will be an area of improvement for him in the days ahead.
Gurjot Singh
International Senior Caps: 7 | Goals: 0
The tournament was a maiden international outing for the young attacker from Punjab and he showed promising signs, albeit in phases.
A product of the Round Glass Hockey Academy, the 20-year-old Gurjot Singh is an aggressive forward who loves to press and get into scoring positions.
He consistently got into scoring positions in all seven games but lacked the composure to finish owing to his inexperience at the senior level.
He displayed good control during one-on-one situations against defenders and also can exploit width to his use while dribbling outside of the circle.
With a bit of fine-tuning, he has all the skill sets to become a forward who can hold the first line of attack for India at the senior level.
Amir Ali
International Senior Caps: 8 | Goals: 0
Amir Ali got a chance to play in the tournament when another defender Sanjay suffered an injury.
He was mostly utilized in the left wing-back role to use the width of the pitch and provide cover for Harmanpreet Singh when he moved up to the midfield.
He showed good speed to retreat and stop counter-attacks from the opposition and also allowed the defense to get back in shape.
He has been around the Indian setup for some time, playing games in the FIH Pro League and one on the Australia tour.
With experience and more use of in-game strategy, Amir has the potential to become a defensive maverick for the Indian team.