By Admin 
Princedeep Singh and Bikramjit Singh (21 years) are two confident young bold men, eager to showcase their talent under the goal and bring home the yellow metal for India in their maiden FIH junior men’s World Cup beginning November 28 here (and Madurai), one that India last won in the year 2016 in Lucknow.
In the last two editions in 2021 and 2023, India finished a disappointing fourth. The competition, this too, will be tough with Australia, seven-time champion Germany and The Netherlands among others vying for the honours.
Under the head coach and former India ‘keeper P. R. Sreejesh, who had been a pillar of strength for the Indian senior team, the two boys’ have been learning a lot.
Princedeep and Bikramjit said the 37-year-old two-time Olympic medallist breaks down the basics of goalkeeping so well and they have benefited a lot from his style.
“He (Sreejesh) tells us about our mistakes in detail. He knows how much pressure is there on the goalkeeper. He has brought a lot of changes in technique in the way we position ourselves and save the aerial shots and ground shots,” they said.
Professional bond
Though Princedeep and Bikramjit are fierce competitors, they share a professional bond, having been together in the Indian junior team for two previous tournaments: 2025 Sultan of Johor Cup where India bagged a silver and the 2024 junior Asia Cup when India won the gold.
“We are roommates here. For us, the team comes first. We talk about each other’s mistakes and it’s been really helpful,” they said.
Bikramjit was noticed after his wonderful performance in the 2024-25 Hockey India League (HIL) where he was adjudged the best goalkeeper of the tournament, playing for Hyderabad Toofans. “It was great. Playing in HIL taught us how to handle the pressure,” he said. For Princedeep, being part of the Tamil Nadu Dragons in HIL and learning from teammate and legendary Ireland goalkeeper David Harte was once in a life-time experience.
Now, they want the junior World Cup to be in India. “We have to win and keep the Trophy,” Princedeep and Bikramjit said.