FIFA U-17 World Cup: India can and India will - know the defence that's representing this nation

The most awaited football tournament of the year is here, with just 2 days to go.

The U-17 football World Cup is considered to be the biggest stepping stone for Indian football. The host nation looks prepared for the upcoming tournament as the excitement builds throughout the nation. The fiesta kicks off on 6th October with Turkey facing New Zealand in the first battle of the much-awaited tournament as well as Colombia facing Ghana at 5:00 P.M IST. India will face the United States, one of the serious contenders to win the cup, in their first game of the campaign. The U-17 Indian team looks in shape and are raring to go.

Now let's take a look at the squad who are carrying the hopes of over a billion people on their shoulder.

The Blue Tigers look like a solid squad with quality players in all the areas of the field.

The Men Between The Sticks:

There are three keepers available for the team: Dheeraj Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Sunny Dhaliwal.

Dheeraj Singh is the one who wears the No.1 jersey for the team. He is the winner of SAFF U-16 championship 2013 where he was the showstopper and earned the plaudits by showcasing a string of great performances. It was the biggest stepping stone in his career as he stole the limelight despite having big-name players in his team. Shot-stopping and penalty saving are one of many things Dheeraj is good at. He is the last barrier a team needs to break in order to score and he will do everything he can to make things difficult for the opposition. Prabhsukhan and Sunny are also in good shape training hard with the team and always ready to step in when called upon.

The Wall To Rely Upon:

Blue Tigers' campaign will heavily rely on how their defenders perform throughout the entire group stage matches.

There are some quality defenders in the team who will hold the back line and as we all know goals win matches but defence wins tournaments. Here we take a look at our top defenders for the tournament.

Anwar Ali (#4) is a tall, strong and a two-footed player. His aerial ability makes him extraordinary. In his early days as a footballer, he used to play as a striker, then a winger and finally a central defender. He is a big fan of Sergio Ramos and dreams to follow in the footsteps of the great Spaniard. Anwar makes the defensive wall even more solid.

Boris Singh (#2) is the defender every opposition should be worried about. He is someone who is tireless and his agility often leaves the opposition forwards bewildered. Just like his role model Cristiano Ronaldo, he has a never give up attitude and the spirit that he transfers to the teammates is immense. He makes a great defensive pairing alongside Anwar.

Hendry Antony (#23) is one of the fullbacks who play in the right-back position. He possesses a great balance between offence and defence. He is a great follower of the ex- Barcelona player Dani Alves and just like him, he is a great threat on the right flank in defence as well as attack.

Now we come to the dead ball specialist and the set-piece taker of the Indian team Sanjeev Stalin (#5). He plays in the left back position. He is an ambidextrous player. He is very confident and comfortable in playing with both feet and this guy's talent doesn't cease to amaze us. Still only 16, people are expecting him to be the star of the tournament.

Clockwise from top left; Hendry Antony, Anwar Ali, Sanjeev Stalin and Boris Singh

The Indian U-17 team has a great engine to run the midfield and a fierce strike force.