Hockey India on July 27 announced the 20-member Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team that will be competing in the 4 nations tournament in Dusseldorf, Germany, from August 18 to 22. The squad will be headed by Captain Uttam Singh and Vice Captain Boby Singh Dhami.
India will compete against England, Spain, and host Germany as part of their preparations for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023, which will be held from December 5 to 16, 2023 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The U21 Squad
The announced squad is a balance of Goalkeepers, Defenders, Midfielders and Forwards. Among the goalkeepers are Mohith H S, and Ranvijay Singh Yadav.
Sharda Nand Tiwari, Rohit, Amandeep Lakra, Amir Ali, Waribam Niraj Kumar Singh and Yogember Rawat will be defending in the team. Meanwhile, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Angad Bir Singh, Boby Singh Dhami, Uttam Singh and Sudeep Chirmako will play as Forwards.
https://twitter.com/TheHockeyIndia/status/1684451941458526208?s=20
Poovanna C B, Vishnukant Singh, Rajinder Singh, Amandeep, Sunit Lakra, Chetan SHarma and Amit Kumar Yadav have made it to the team as midfielders.
“We have been training hard in preparation for the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 and have identified some areas of improvement. The 4 Nations Tournament is the perfect opportunity to see if our plans are feasible,” said coach CR Kumar through Hockey India.
“Encountering high-pressure match situations at the 4 Nations Tournament will help the team improve its composure. This event will also serve as a crucial means to pinpoint areas of improvement. We believe that this tournament will set the bar for the performance of the team. This is our first exposure to European teams and playing against them will help to evaluate the team’s performance against these quality opponents,” he signed off.
Meanwhile, there will be some hockey in action at home with the return of International hockey to Chennai after a gap of 16 years with Hero Asian Champions Trophy 2023, set to take place from August 3 to 12.