‘Little India’ in the USA squad for Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup | Hockey News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: When the US under-21 boys won the bronze medal at the Pan American Games, they didn’t just end their long wait to stand on an international podium, but also said a silent prayer — for the outside chance they earned to be on a flight to India for the Junior World Cup. Not that they wanted any team to withdraw, but in Covid times, you never know.
The story unfolded exactly that way.
Covid-related travel restrictions forced Australia and New Zealand to pull out of the tournament. The FIH sprung into action, and the next two best-placed teams were brought on board. The USA was one, and their neighbours Canada the other. Later, England too opted out for the same reasons, and that vacant space was awarded to Poland.
“It was an amazing feeling. For a lot of kids growing up, that’s the dream, the Junior World Cup. Once we heard the news that we’re gonna go, that was a dream come true.” Jatin Sharma’s emotion of joy was easily discernible in his voice, when he answered TimesofIndia.com’s call the day before the team was to fly out of California.

Jatin Sharma (Photo Courtesy: Jatin Sharma)
Jatin Sharma, as the name suggests is an American hockey player of Indian origin. Along with Sharma, four others make up a ‘small India’ in the USA 18-member squad. Not to forget a familiar figure in the dug out — the US senior men’s team coach Harendra Singh, who would be travelling with the junior squad to Bhubaneswar.
Harendra, who coached defending champions India to the Junior World Cup title in 2016, was roped in by USA Field Hockey earlier this year; and they don’t want to miss out on his inside knowledge and first-hand experience of Indian conditions and players.
Apart from Sharma, the other Indian-origin players in the US squad are Mehtab Grewal, Gurcharan Johal, Amrinderpal Singh and Shomik Chakraborty.

Mehtab Grewal (Photo Courtesy: Jatin Sharma)
“The Indian hockey community here in America, I think, is pretty big, especially in California,” said Sharma during his conversation with TimesofIndia.com.
“Growing up, almost like 80% of my team was a lot of Indian-origin kids. A lot of the older people who moved from India to America brought the sport with them. They try to grow the sport over here because the sport of hockey is not very big. The Indian community does a lot for the sport.
“My dad used to play back in India and then he moved here and started coaching youth clubs here. My dad was actually my first coach until I was about 16. So I owe it all to him,” said Jatin.
After shifting base to the US, Sharma’s dad founded the Stanford Lightning Youth Field Hockey club and later the Hayward Hawks Field Hockey Club around the San Francisco Bay area.
Now, Sharma helps his dad in coaching the Stanford Lightning U-10s.
A tournament in India gives a chance to the families of these players to visit their ancestral villages and towns, but the pandemic era has forced the world to re-think and decide differently. So only the family of Mehtab, will be travelling with the team this time.
For a long time, most of these players haven’t stepped on the soil of the land their parents belonged to. For the 20-year-old Sharma, it’s been over a decade. So it’s not a surprise that he couldn’t recall the exact location of his ancestral hometown.
“Close to Jalandhar,” he said.
“I’ve been to India twice. Once I was, I think, one year old and then the other time I was seven years old. The last time I was in India was 2008. It’s been a long time.”
“I wanted to go with my family to Punjab, but I have to come back to Moorpark in Los Angeles. We have a senior team camp starting, I think, the day after we get back from the Junior World Cup.”

Amrinderpal Singh (Photo Courtesy: Jatin Sharma)
Sharma and Chakraborty are among the few in the junior squad who have already played for the US senior team as well.
“I got my first cap with the senior team in February 2020. Then there are also, I believe, three players on the men’s senior national team currently who are also going to be part of this Junior World Cup,” said Jatin.
FUNDRAISER FOR TOUR, ONLINE CLASSES ON TOUR
Mention hockey to American sports fans, and most of them would think of ice hockey. They like to call hockey on artificial grass ‘field hockey’. `
So Sharma is bang on when he says hockey “is not that big” in the US. That is further emphasised by the fact that players and the federation need to raise funds themselves for international assignments.
A similar fundraising campaign was run for participation in the Junior World Cups in India (men) and South Africa (women).

Gurcharan Johal (Photo Courtesy: Jatin Sharma)
“Unfortunately, our junior programme is self-funded. As you know, hockey isn’t that big in America, so we try to fundraise as much as we can. But a lot of the expenses come out of families’ pockets,” Jatin further told TimesofIndia.com.
“I’m not sure of the numbers (money raised so far), but we fundraise as much as we can and then the US Men’s Field Hockey Foundation grants us large donations. This trip would not be possible without them for sure.
How much on average does a player or his family need to contribute?
“I believe $2,000 (Rs 1.5 lakh approximately),” replied Jatin.
But that’s not all that the players have to do to make an international hockey trip possible.
Most of them are students and they need to continue their online classes while on tour.
“I’m currently in third year college,” said Jatin, who is pursuing a degree in computer science. “This quarter I am taking classes online because obviously we’re traveling for the World Cup. A lot of the other kids are doing the same…high school students. Even when we are traveling, we still have to study.”
TARGETING THE QUARTER-FINALS
With the Netherlands, Spain and Korea part of Pool C, in which USA find themselves, it’s a tough ask for the American boys to finish in the top two for a place in the knockouts.
But they have boarded the flight to India targeting a quarterfinal finish at least.
“Our team goal for the tournament is to make the quarterfinals. It’s obviously going to be a tough goal with the teams in our pool, but anything can happen in international hockey,” said Jatin, who played basketball while in middle school, besides participating in varsity soccer till he finished high school.
That aim too is going to be a mountain to climb for the USA, with the players not used to playing together regularly due to geographical and academic hurdles.
The squad gets together just for a week ahead of every international tournament.
“It’s difficult because we don’t play together very often. It’s hard to learn each other’s playing styles (in a short period), but we have to make the most of it because that’s just how it is,” said Jatin.
“Our team right now is like a mix of young and a couple of old players. We’re gonna try our best and hopefully make our country and our families proud, playing at the Junior World Cup.”