Hockey India, on Sunday, announced the 18-member Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team set to participate in the 12th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.
Newly appointed Head Coach, PR Sreejesh will take charge of the team in Malaysia with Amir Ali serving as Captain and Rohit named as his deputy.
India will begin their campaign against Japan on 19th October, followed by a clash with Great Britain on 20th October. After a day’s rest, India will face hosts Malaysia on 22nd October, followed by a match with Australia on 23rd October. In the last group stage match, on 25th October, India will take on New Zealand and hope to finish among the top two teams in the pool in order to advance to the Final on 26th October.
Defender Amir Ali and forward Gurjot Singh are the two players who recently played for the Indian Men’s Hockey Team at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in Moqi, China and helped India retain their title. Amir filled in seamlessly for the injured defender Sanjay in the tournament while Gurjot led the forward line in all the matches and showed immense potential.
Captain Amir Ali expressed the importance of the upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup saying, “The Sultan of Johor Cup is an important tournament in our calendar as always. The tournament will serve as a litmus test for the team ahead of the Men’s Junior Asia Cup Muscat 2024 in November this year. All the players are excited to play some intense hockey matches in Malaysia.”
Vice Captain Rohit also joined him by saying, “We have an Indian hockey legend taking charge of the team, the whole team is raring to go. PR Sreejesh is one of the most experienced players to play for India, and we look forward to making him proud in our first tournament. The mood in the camp has been excellent and we want to capitalise on this by showcasing our potential at the Sultan of Johor Cup.”
Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team:
Goalkeepers
1. Bikramjit Singh
2. Ali Khan
Defenders
3. Amir Ali (C)
4. Talem Priyobarta
5. Shardanand Tiwari
6. Sukhvinder
7. Anmol Ekka
8. Rohit (VC)
Midfielders
9. Ankit Pal
10. Manmeet Singh
11. Rosan Kujur
12. Mukesh Toppo
13. Chandan Yadav
Forwards
14. Gurjot Singh
15. Sourabh Anand Kushwaha
16. Dilraj Singh
17. Arshdeep Singh
18. Mohd. Konain Dad