Where are the silver medal-winning Youth Olympic Indian Hockey players now?
The Indian hockey team (U-18) won the silver medal in the Hockey 5s Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in 2018. While most of the players have retained their places and regularly featured for the Junior Indian Hockey, captain Vivek Sagar has been promoted to the senior Indian team and will represent the country at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. BJ Kariappa was the head coach of the junior team when they won silver at the Youth Olympics and is still with the boys. On that note, let's take a look at all nine junior hockey players and where they are now. #1 Vivek Sagar Prasad (Captain)  Captain Vivek Sagar Prasad at the Youth Olympics 2018. Of all the nine players, the only one to be selected in the Indian hockey team for the Olympics is midfielder and the then captain of the Youth Olympics team, Vivek Sagar Prasad. A product of the famous Madhya Pradesh Hockey Academy, which has produced several world-class stars in the past, Prasad caught the limelight when he was selected ahead of Sardar Singh for the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games. Prasad, who now works with BPCL, hasnt looked back since. He has been a regular in the senior Indian hockey team. A top-notch midfielder, Vivek can wrong-foot players easily. He led his team to the finals in the Hockey 5s competition at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires. With 62 caps and 15 goals to his name, Prasad is one for the future and is a potential future Indian Hockey team captain. #2 Prashant Chauhan  A tall, whippy, and agile goalkeeper, Prashant Chauhan was the vice-captain of the Indian hockey team that won the silver medal at the Hockey 5s Youth Olympics. Hailing from Uttar Pradeshs Varanasi, Chauhan has always been the first-choice goalkeeper for the junior Indian team. Chauhan, who plays for Uttar Pradesh in the domestic circuit, joined the camp in 2017 and has played almost every major tournament that the junior Indian Hockey team has participated in. His splendid performance was one of the key reasons for Indias success at the Youth Olympics. His aggressive style of play and loud calling on the pitch makes him a standout from other goalkeepers. He is just 21 and still has a long way to go in his journey. But many expect to see him fill in for Sreejesh in the senior Indian Hockey team soon. #3 Sudeep Chirmako  Sudeep Chirmako is a bold and fearless forward who represents Hockey Odisha in the domestic circuit. His dribbling and 3D skills are ones to watch out for. Just 19, Chirmako has the ability to dribble past several defenders at a time and get into the oppositions half. He rose to prominence during the Hockey India nationals, after which he was called to the Junior National camp and has featured regularly for the team. Chirmako is a gutsy forward who is always hungry for goals and can beat any defender on his day. A product of the Panposh Sports Hostel in Rourkela, Chirmako made his debut for the Junior Indian hockey team at the 8-nations Invitational tournament in Spain. He was Indias highest goal-scorer in the third Youth Olympic Games, scoring 11 goals, and is one to watch out for. #RisingStar    Top scorer with 11 goals at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, young #Odisha forward Sudeep Chirmako is tipped as a bright prospect for future Senior India Teams . He is our #RisingStar of the Week. #OdishaForSports@TheHockeyIndia pic.twitter.com/yL3AIBYIO2  Odisha Sports (@sports_odisha) October 27, 2020  #4 Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem  Every hockey player in Manipur idolises Chinglensana Singh, and the strong, bulky junior Indian hockey team defender, Rabichandra Singh, is no different. The latter's performance from the day he made his debut in 2016 has been outstanding. He spearheaded the Indian defence in the Youth Olympics and has been working to improve his skills. It is expected to see him leading the senior Indian teams defence soon. #5 Shivam Anand  Shivam Anand is Prashant Chauhans statemate, and they share one of the best bonding in the team. Anand is an ever-smiling person and scored enough goals at the Youth Olympics to retain his place in the camp. He is a prolific striker, and like every other player, he dreams of playing for the senior Indian hockey team. Congratulations to the Indian U-18 Men's Hockey Team on winning the Silver Medal of the men's Hockey5s event of the 3rd Youth Olympic Games @BuenosAires2018 after their debut campaign in the tournament concluded on 14th October 2018.#IndiaKaGame pic.twitter.com/83BehslB8g  Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) October 14, 2018  #6 Rahul Kumar Rajbhar  Another Uttar Pradesh boy in the team, Rahul Kumar Rajbhar, works for the Indian Air Force and represents the Services Sports Control Board in the domestic tournaments. He has been in the camp for a very long time and has made an impact in every tournament where he has got a chance. The deadly trio of Chirmako, Anand and Rajbhar was unstoppable at the Youth Olympics in 2018. Although they failed to score in the final, the trios performance in the league and knockout matches was awe-inspiring. #7 Sanjay  Another defender and powerful drag-flicker who manned Indias defence at the Youth Olympics is the tall and bulky Sanjay. His towering athletic body makes him stand out on the pitch. Its not easy to score past him unless he has an off day. Representing Hockey Chandigarh, Sanjay is only 20, and if he continues to impress, he could be an asset to the senior Indian hockey team in the future. #8 Maninder Singh  Sanjays statemate, Maninder Singh, made his debut for India at the seventh Sultan of Johar Cup in 2017. Singh is a big-match player and has always held on to his place in the team since the day he came to the camp. A majestic midfielder, Singh dreams of playing in the Hockey Mens Junior World Cup 2021, which is scheduled to be held in India later this year. #9 Pawan  The other goalkeeper who worked as a deputy for Prashant Chauhan was Haryanas Pawan. The latter has represented India in three tournaments to date, and with age on his side, he is expected to get more game time, as Chauhan is already 21. Disclaimer: The opinions in this piece is that of the writer and based on the information available about the players on the internet. Edited by Bhargav