Indian Junior Hockey team captain Uttam Singh led his team to victory in the Junior Asia Cup as the Blue Colts defeated arch-rivals Pakistan in the finals. Uttam highlighted the tournament was organized after a gap of nine years and he was adjudged the player of the match in the finals.
Uttam also starred in the finals of the Sultan of Johor Cup when he scored in the shootout against Australia in the finals. India eventually won that match and Uttam was ecstatic as captain.
The youngster shared his love for former Indian cricket captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. He follows Dhoni’s ideology and mannerisms on the field and that’s why he also remains calm under pressure.
“I am a big fan of Dhoni. Whether he is chasing 400 runs or defending 100 runs, he remains cool. Spectators feel the pressure in nail-biting finishes, but he does not. Never,” Uttam opened up on his fandom about MS Dhoni to PTI.
“He is an inspiration for all the players. I have learnt from him that your opponent or anybody should not know what is going inside you during a match. I am happy that he has decided to play in the IPL next year too, “ the Junior India Hockey captain added in joy.
India played the Junior Asia Cup final in front of a capacity crowd in Salalah, Oman. But he led his team really well as they were unfazed by the crowd and played their natural game to edge out Pakistan in the finals by 2-1.
India were successful in defending their crown and after winning the match Uttam spoke about his team’s performance in the tournament and how important it was to win the finals. “Junior Asia Cup was held after a gap of nine years. We were the defending champions and wanted to beat Pakistan in terms of number of titles also, “ said the skipper who won the Man of the match award.
This was India’s fourth Junior Asia Cup title, they have previously won this title in 2004, 2008 and 2015. Pakistan are the second-most successful team with three titles but their last one came 27 years ago.
“India and Pakistan matches always carry additional pressure in any sports. We knew what it meant to win or lose a final against Pakistan. We also wanted to remain the number one ranking in Asia and number four stats in the world,” Uttam Singh concluded.
Uttam has all the skills and the maturity to play at the senior and with every Junior event, the youngster is getting better and better. He has a very calm head on his shoulders and that has a lot to do with his fandom of Dhoni.
