Bhubaneswar 29 November : India’s Araijeet Sing Hundal has impressed hockey fans with his five goals in three matches at the ongoing FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar2021. The tall, lanky Amritsar lad is quick on his feet as an attacker and as one the four penalty corner specialists in Indian Junior side, Hundal has proven his worth with powerful drag flicks in tough situations to support his side.
He was awarded the Player of the match title for his hat-trick against Canada in India’s 13-1 win.
The quarter-final will see the hosts take on a highly skilled Belgium.This could be a repeat performance of the 2016 Junior World Cup Final, where India was victorious.Araijeet, who is unaware of the significance of the Bhubaneswar match that changed the lives so many rising stars in India and Belgium, wants to concentrate on the match on December 1, without looking at past results.
“I was only 12 years old when the 2016 Junior World Cup took place in Lucknow.I don’t remember too many details about that tournament, but I do know how that tournament affected many players’ lives,” recalled the 17 year-old striker.
He said that although I picked up the hockey stick as a youngster because of my father (Kuljeet Sing), I only started serious practice in 2015-2016.
Araijeet was a rookie in the domestic circuit, playing for Punjab & Sindh Bank in the Hockey India Junior Men National Championship.
This was in Bhopal in 2018.Araijeet was selected for the National Camp for Juniors (SAI), Bengaluru, following another impressive performance for his team at the Hockey India Junior Men National Championship.
Although his first call-up to the National Camp in 2019 was a great opportunity for the youngster, he was placed on the same campus as his Senior compatriots.However, the lockdown in March 2020 meant that he had no choice but to return to Amritsar to continue his development as a forward for the India Colts side.”My father set up a net at his home and bought a small mat for me to practice on.To hone my skills, I would do 100 drag flicks per day.
“My interactions with senior team players like Harmanpreet and Rupinder were very helpful once the Camp resumed in Sept 2020.They all agreed that my technique was good.
However, they asked me to pay more attention on my footwork and how to release the ball.After coming to the camp, I worked a lot in timing, power, shoulder movement, and power,” said Araijeet Hundal.
He was captivated by the words of Varun Kumar, India’s drag-flicker and defender, who was part India’s historic Olympic bronze-winning team.
“He advised me to keep my head up while I was taking the drag-flick.
The seniors also advised me to pay attention to the weaknesses of the opposing goalkeeper.Our coach, BJ Kariappa, would also share many videos of senior team drag flickers on Whatsapp so we could analyze their movements and make necessary changes to our style.
He said that all of these factors had helped him a lot.
Araijeet, who was playing only his first tournament for India, expressed his excitement at being in the Blue Jersey.It has been very special, without a doubt.It was always a dream to play in this venue (Kalinga Hockey Stadium).
Although we may have taken our first match too lightly, we have learned from our mistakes.We are now fully charged up for the quarterfinals against Belgium.
We had a meeting for forwards today, and we know that even one mistake or a second of energy loss will cost us dearly against Belgium.He concluded that we are 100% focused on bringing our A game against them.”
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