Chennai: The Indian junior men’s hockey team will face traditional rivals Belgium in the quarterfinals of the prestigious FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2025 to be played at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai, on Friday.

The PR Sreejesh-coached India side has been mercurial in the round-robin stage, notching up significant victories, albeit against sides that are not traditionally strong in hockey. They beat Chile 7-0, Oman 17-0, and Switzerland 5-0. The team’s goalkeepers have hardly been tested against these sides, while the team’s attack has had a golden run, scoring a total of 29 goals — the highest by any team in the tournament so far.

But against Belgium, they will be tested. The team came into the quarterfinals after finishing second in pool D, behind Spain. They

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