KUALA LUMPUR: All India skipper Uttam Singh wants from the Kuala Lumpur Junior World Cup (JWC) is a gold medal around his neck and the coveted trophy in his hands.
The pint-sized forward will pit his men against mighty Germany, who already have six JWC titles under gift wraps, and hunting another to make their Christmas a memorable one.
Germany, silver medallists in the 2021 Bhubaneswar World Cup, will play fourth-placed India in the semi-finals on Thursday, and the scoreline is too close to call.
India need to keep their composure until the last second of the match, as the Germans are known as "comeback kings".
Germany coach Rein van Eijk said: "It's going to be one of our toughest matches in the JWC, but we are here to lift our seventh title and that means winning the semi-finals first."
Incidentally, three of the titles were won in Kuala Lumpur (1982), Ipoh (1989) and when the tournament was held in Johor Baru and Singapore (2009).
Uttam embraced hockey because of his father Krishnakant Singh. "My dad started playing hockey at the age of 12 with the hope of playing for India but at 17 he had to give up his dream because my grandfather passed away and he had to shoulder the family's responsibilities.
"My dad wants me to fulfil his dream by winning the JWC for him," said Uttam, who scored the winning goal for India against the Netherlands in their 4-3 quarter-final triumph.
In the 2021 JWC, Germany beat India 4-2 in the semi-finals. Uttam said Germany broke their hearts in their own backyard two years ago, and they had, since, played three times and lost all, with the latest being the Sultan of Johor Cup where they were whipped 6-3 in the semi-finals.
And so, Uttam and his men have a score to settle with Germany.
"We want revenge for all the previous defeats. As this is my last JWC, I want it to be a memorable one by winning it for my father," he said.
