Hockey India on Saturday named the 18-member Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team for the upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia which is scheduled to begin on October 22 in Johor Bahru. The Indian team, that ended their campaign with a silver medal in 2019 edition after a closely-fought match against Great Britain, will take on Australia, Japan, South Africa, hosts Malaysia and defending champions Great Britain in this year’s edition which is being held after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic.
The India team will be captained by Uttam Singh, who featured in India’s Junior World Cup campaign at home in 2021, and debuted for the senior side at the Asia Cup 2022 held in Jakarta earlier this year. Boby Singh Dhami has been named the vice-captain of the team.
Goalkeepers Mohith HS and Ankit Malik have been selected in the team along with defenders Amir Ali, Shardanand Tiwari, Rohit, Amandeep Lakra, Cyril Lugun. Midfielders chosen for this prestigious tournament are Vishnukant Singh, Rajinder Singh, Ankit Pal, Poovanna CB, Amandeep and Johnson Purthy.
In the forwardline, Uttam will lead the charge along with Angad Bir Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Boby Singh Dhami and Sudeep Chirmako.
India will begin their campaign against hosts Malaysia on opening day on October 22 followed by their game against South Africa on October 23.
After a day of rest, India will take on Japan on October 25 followed by a match against Australia a day later. They will take on Great Britain on the 28th while the finals will be held on 29 October.
Speaking about the team’s preparations, coach CR Kumar said, “We are well-prepared for the tournament. The players have been together in the national coaching camp for a while now and are eager to play. We have a well-balanced team with almost seven players who were part of the 2021 Junior World Cup team and some of them have also had a stint with the senior men’s team.”
“This is an important and very prestigious tournament in the junior hockey calendar and we are quite excited to begin our campaign against hosts Malaysia,” Kumar added.
The squad
Goalkeepers
Mohith HS
Ankit Malik
Defenders
Amir Ali
Shardanand Tiwari
Rohit
Amandeep Lakra
Cyril Lugun
Midfielders
Vishnukant Singh
Rajinder Singh
Ankit Pal
Poovanna CB
Amandeep
Johnson Purthy
Forwards
Uttam Singh (Captain)
Angad Bir Singh
Araijeet Singh Hundal
Boby Singh Dhami (Vice Captain)
Sudeep Chirmako
Schedule
October 22: India vs Malaysia - 18:05 hrs IST
October 23: India vs South Africa - 15:35 hrs IST
October 25: India vs Japan - 15:35 hrs IST
October 26: India vs Australia - 13:35 hrs IST
October 28: India vs Great Britain - 13:35 hrs IST