The next Sreejesh and Harmanpreet? Indian players to watch out for at Junior Men's Hockey World Cup

Can India win a hockey World Cup at home? There's a real chance of this historic moment after the Indian men's junior team overcame the quarterfinal challenge against Belgium in the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup.
The match ended 2-2 and in the shootout, India held their nerves to win 4-3 to make their way to the semifinal where they will face defending champions Germany on Sunday:.
India have so far remained unbeaten in the tournament, making it to the quarters after comfortable victories over Chile, Oman and Switzerland. Now, ahead of the high-octane clash on December 7, here are five Indian players who have impressed so far and can make a difference:
Princedeep Singh - goalkeeper
Indian legend PR Sreejesh, who's now the head coach of this team, had this brilliant ability to go a level up in big games. No matter how many shots he faced in crunch situations, or be it with penalty shootout, Sreejesh simply became unbeatable. His ward Princedeep did something similar against Belgium.
Calm under pressure, Princedeep put out a superb display, first during normal time and then in the shootout where he saved twice to hand India the win. After three successful conversions, Princedeep denied Belgium with a perfect stick tackle and then came up with an outstanding double save against Nicolas Bogaert -- first with his stick to push the ball away and then an all-in dive to save the second shot.
It was a reminder of what his head coach used to do in his heydays. Princedeep's talent became obvious when he impressed in the Hockey India League with Tamil Nadu Dragons. It was evident that he had all the makings to represent the senior side -- solid with his blocks, quick with his thinking and a composed presence at the back.
He showed against Belgium that he can stand up and perform on big occasions and now he needs to do it again against Germany to push his team towards the title match.
Manmeet Singh - attacking midfielder
If Princedeep was a reminder of Sreejesh at his best, Manmeet Singh does something similar to senior team midfield maestro Hardik Singh. The attacking midfielder has been one of the best performing junior players over the last year or so. Skillful with his stick, Manmeet can create chances for his team while also being a good finisher -- he has so far scored five goals in the World Cup.
Against Switzerland, he opened the scoring with a deft finish and then doubled the lead with a sensational finish. Receiving the pass from defence with his back to the goal, Manmeet made space for himself and came up with a first-time sweeping finish that surprised the goalkeeper who couldn't do much to prevent the goal. It's a testament to his confidence and his ability to find that extra yard of space for himself.
Against Belgium too, Manmeet kept finding that space inside the circle despite his opponents packing the defence. Like Princedeep, Manmeet also looks ready for a role in the senior team but for now, his task with the junior team is not finished yet.
Rohit - captain and defender
When India were trailing against Belgium and were frustrated for almost 45 minutes, it was Rohit's dragflick which pulled India back into the game, and shifted momentum in their favour. The speed on the shot was too much to handle for the Belgian goalkeeper who got his body in line but couldn't stop the ball cleanly.
As captain, Rohit stood up and delivered when it mattered the most. His leadership when India struggled to get going showed why he was the top choice to lead the side. For most of the first three quarters, it looked like the players were trying too hard. They were not creating many chances despite having a lot of the ball.
However, Rohit was instrumental in gaining a bit of control in the middle. He slowed things down from the back, signalling his players to show some patience and be effective going forward. When a proper chance came, Rohit was the one who scored to make it 1-1.
Sharda Nand Tiwari - defender
If Rohit's goal pulled India back in, it was Sharda Nand's dragflick that put India ahead in the match. In total, he scored four times against Belgium - once via a penalty corner and three times in the shootout. In previous matches, Shardanand was a bit too straight with his dragflicks, which didn't trouble goalkeepers a lot. Against Belgium though, he nailed a low and hard shot, towards the goalkeeper's right -- the sound of the ball hitting the board would've made any dragflicker soar with pride.
And then in the shootout, he had three chances from penalty strokes as the Belgian goalkeeper Alexis van Havere committed three back-to-back fouls on the attackers. All three times, Sharda Nand showed nerves of steel to convert. Sreejesh would be extremely pleased that his centre-back pairing of Rohit and Sharda Nand, and the goalkeeper behind them, showed remarkable composure and effectiveness to pull India through.
Arshdeep Singh - forward
Even before he was named in the Junior World Cup, the speedy forward had made a name for himself at the Hockey India League. As part of Hyderabad Toofans, he played a big role in helping them qualify for the final. After his HIL stint, he earned his senior team call-up before making his way to the junior team as Sreejesh knew he cannot afford to miss a player like Arshdeep. The forward scored a hat trick against Oman in this World Cup and those were only goals so far for him. He didn't get on the scoresheet against Belgium but his speed and stick skills troubled his opponents throughout the game. Arshdeep has already played high quality matches in the HIL and his experience, along with his skills, will certainly be a factor in the semifinal. Going into the tournament, he was one of the players to watch out for and his head coach will hope that his most gifted forward will make an impact on Sunday.
India vs Germany will start at 8 PM on December 7, Sunday. The World Cup is shown LIVE on JioHotstar.