Slightly unaware of the approaching anniversary of a historic feat, captain of the 2016 team, Harjeet Singh, was in Jalandhar - enjoying the festivities of current India captain Manpreet Singh's wedding to his long-time Malaysian girlfriend Illi Najwa Saddique. Hardik (Singh) couldn't make the cut, Dilpreet (Singh) was standby, plus Suraj Karkera,' he said talking to. There was so much competition for places in that team. 'I still consider it a team of 22 and not 18. The weakness in his voice was easily discernible, but the mention of the 2016 victory lent a lot of strength and cheer to his tone. (Stats: Hockey India - as of Dec 18, 2020) THE HIGHS, THE LOWS & THE MEMORIES Four years on, as the world grapples to get out of the grip of the coronavirus pandemic, Harendra too is recovering from a Covid-19 infection, having returned a negative result on the test conducted earlier this month. Before the knockouts, India had topped Pool D with an all-win record, beating Canada (4-0), England (5-3) and South Africa (2-1).Ģ018 Four-Nations Invitational Tournament, NZ It was India's second summit climb atop junior men's hockey, after the triumph by 'Class of 2001'. Two crafty goals from Gurjant Singh and Simranjeet Singh saw India beat Belgium 2-1 to win the final. Though the frequency of notifications popping up in the group is limited to special occasions, the mutual respect between members of that close-knit squad remains the same through thick and thin. In fact, that WhatsApp group of the 18-member squad is still in place. On December 18, after the dense Lucknow fog took until the afternoon to clear, coach Harendra Singh, captain Harjeet Singh and their team accomplished 'Mission 2016', which they had set out for in 2014.

With a few holes remaining to be filled, Indian hockey has largely managed to achieve that over the past decade, which shows in the progress of the players who won the 2016 FIH Junior Men's World Cup. It is, in fact, a formula of growth in general as well - be it an individual, a concept or an industry like sports, where you need to develop from bottom to top.

NEW DELHI: A sapling's chance to turn into a tree depends on the nourishment it receives to grow and get its roots deep and healthy enough to stand tall for years.

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