India missed a golden chance to enter the hockey final of the Olympics for the first time in 44 years as they went down 2-3 to Germany in a close last-four clash at the Games.

I have full faith in (goalkeeper PR) Sreejesh and in all the young players in the team. Five players are going to make their debut at the Olympics but they too have good experience of international hockey, said Tirkey.

Jarmanpreet had been banned between 2016 and 2018 after failing a random dope test but he came back strongly and is now going to play the Olympics eight years after missing the chance to play the Junior World Cup. His mother has been his staunchest ally and he hopes she'll in the stands cheering him on at the Olympics.

Mandeep's prolific goal-scoring has seen him being a part of several successful campaigns, including the Junior World Cup title triumph in Lucknow in 2016, Asia Cup gold in 2017, Asian Champions Trophy titles in 2018 and 2023, Commonwealth Games silver in 2022 Birmingham and the Hangzhou Asian Games gold in 2023, which helped India qualify automatically for Paris.

They have always given us a tough fight. The pool is very tough. The team must play with a fresh mind. They are capable and they have the capability said Ashok.

Hundreds of boys from Karampur village with a population of about three thousand had the dream to represent India at the Olympics in hockey, but only Raj Kumar Pal, famous as 'Ghazipur ke Raj Kumar', has realised the dream till date and now wishes to fulfil every unfulfilled dreams of his friends and brothers in Paris.

He overcame the toughest phase of his life to earn a spot in the Olympic-bound Indian men's hockey squad and is determined to prove his worth in the Games beginning July 26.