LUCKNOW, Dec. 12 -- With just three minutes to go for the hooter, it was a full house and also there was a pin-drop silence at Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday evening during the bronze-medal match in the Junior World Cup. The scoreboard flashed 2-all and all eyes were fixed on just one man in the middle, defender Shardanand Tiwari, who was ready to take up a penalty stroke with Argentinian custodian looked almost certain to stop the hit, but to no avail as Tiwari's powerful flick zoomed into the goalpost, ensuring a bronze medal for India. Though India won by 4-2 even after trailing by two goals early in the game, Shardanand's goal turned out to be the most important and after him Anmol Ekka completed the formality, converting a penalty corner into goalkeeper less post in the 58th minute. "I knew that all eyes were on me when I was readying to take the penalty stroke. I just prayed and hit the ball hard even though I was sure about the rival goalkeeper's plan to dive to his right so I put all my energy behind that shot," said Lucknow's Shardanand on Thursday. "There was no chance of a failure at this stage so I stayed focused and I was on cloud nine when I saw my hit zooming past the rival goalkeeper. It was like a dream come true as we missed a podium finish in 2021 and since then I had been waiting for a finish in top three," he further said. With eight goals in the tournament, Shardanand emerged as a clutch performer for the Indian team in Chennai's event. Born to a private car driver father and housewife mother in Lucknow, Shardanand grew up in humble circumstances where funds for sports gear were scarce. As a child, he bought a basic hockey stick for Rs 80 just to access KD Singh 'Babu' Stadium, initially drawn by kites flying overhead rather than the sport. In fact, friends introduced him to hockey and despite disinterest in studies, he honed his skills at the SAI Academy in Lucknow, balancing training with summer jobs at a departmental store to afford equipment under the watchful guidance of Mohd Raza and Rashid Aziz. Shardanand's breakthrough came at the 2019 Junior National Championship, where Uttar Pradesh clinched silver, earning him a spot in the national junior camp. In his debut international tournament, the 2019 Sultan of Johor Cup, he helped India secure silver. "After scoring seven goals at the Johor Cup, I was determined to score more goals in further events and I completed my dream in this World Cup by scoring eight goals," said Shardanand, whose stock rose during the 2021 Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar, where he scored the lone goal-a penalty corner conversion-in India's 1-0 quarterfinal win over Belgium, advancing the hosts to the semi-finals. "It's hard for a defender to get many goal-scoring opportunities in a match, but a person like me always looks for scoring opportunities," said Shardanand who has evolved into India's go-to penalty stroke specialist, slotting all three in the quarterfinal shootout against Belgium to secure a semi-final berth in Chennai. Before the Junior World Cup, Shardanand featured prominently in the Men's Junior Asia Cup, contributing to India's campaign with notable stats, including five goals across six matches. His composure under pressure, especially in shootouts, stems from rigorous training and mental fortitude shaped by his father's sac-rifices. "Like others in the team, I too was confident of our comeback in the match even after trailing by two goals and things changed dramatically when Arshdeep Singh's brilliance and Anmol Ekka's penalty corner conversions allowed us to level the score in the dying minutes of play," said he, who now eyes senior national team integration, inspired by his father's unwavering support amid financial hardships. Undoubtedly, his journey from Lucknow streets to the World Cup podium symbolizes resilience, positioning him as an emerging star in Indian hockey's next generation alongside talents like Arshdeep. Besides Shardanand, three others from Uttar Pradesh-Sourabh Anand, Ajit Yadav and Amir Ali were also part of the bronze-winning Indian squad....