Bengaluru: The Indian Junior Men’s and Women’s Hockey Team departed for their European tour from Bengaluru on Monday.
They will be flying to Germany for the 4 Nations Tournament- Dusseldorf 2023, where they will be seen in action against England, Spain, and hosts Germany.
The tournament will be part of the preparations for the upcoming prestigious FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023, scheduled to be played in Malaysia from December 5 to 16, and for the Women’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2023, scheduled to be played in Santiago, Chile from
November 29 to December 10.
Vishnukant Singh will Captain the Indian Junior Men’s Team, as Uttam Singh is unable to travel due to an injury he sustained during the training camp. It should be noted that Sourabh Anand Kushwaha has been named as Uttam’s replacement in the squad, with Boby Singh Dhami remaining as Vice Captain.
Meanwhile, the Indian Junior Women’s Team will be Captained by Preeti and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal
is the Vice Captain. The Junior Men’s team will be in action from 18th August to 22nd August 2023, while the Indian Junior Women’s team will be in action from 19th August to 23rd August 2023.
Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team Captain Vishnukant Singh said, “We are really looking forward to this tour. Playing against quality sides in the lead-up to the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup will give us a good learning experience. Having worked on our strengths and weaknesses over the past few months, we will aim to give our best in the tournament. Coming on the back of winning the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023, it will give us the confidence to play top European teams.”
Meanwhile, Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team Captain Preeti said, “We have been doing intense training sessions. The preparations have been really good, and our previous performances will be a massive confidence booster for the players. We have FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 coming in December, so it will be a good time for us to implement and execute the strategies that we have been working on.”
Schedule of the Indian Junior Men’s Hockey Team:
On 18th August 2023, India Vs Spain at 1430 hrs IST.
On 19th August 2023, India vs Germany at 2230 hrs IST.
On 21st August 2023, India vs England at 1330 hrs IST.
Schedule of the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team:
On 19th August 2023, India Vs Germany at 1700 hrs IST.
On 20th August 2023, India vs England at 2045 hrs IST.
On 22st August 2023, India vs Spain at 1545 hrs IST.
