Harpal Singh Bedi / New Delhi
Talented striker Uttam Singh will lead the 18-member Indian Colts Hockey Team for the Junior Asia Cup to be held in Salalah, Oman from 23rd May to 1st June . This is a qualifying event for the Junior World Cup to be held in Malaysia in December.
India is clubbed in pool A along with Pakistan, Japan, Thailand and Chinese Taipei while Korea, Malaysia, Oman, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan are grouped in pool B.
The Indian team features an experienced mix of players who have in the past played the previous edition of Jr World Cup in 2021 held in Bhubaneswar, sha as well as in 10th Sultan of Johor Cup 2022 where India clinched the title.
Boby Singh Dhami has been named as the Vice Captain of the squad. Mohith HS and Himwaan Sihag are the goalkeepers while Shardanand Tiwari, Rohit, Amandeep Lakra, Amir Ali and Yogember Rawat will form the defence.
The midfield will see the experienced Vishnukant Singh who had a fantastic outing during the recently-held Pro League in Rourkela. He will be joined by Rajinder Singh, Poovanna CB, Amandeep and Sunit Lakra while Boby Singh Dhami, Araijeet Singh Hundal, Aditya Lalage, Uttam Singh, Sudeep Chirmako and Angad Bir Singh have been named in the forward line.
Talking about the team selection, Coach CR Kumar said, “We have a fairly experienced team with some of the players also having made their Senior debut in the recent tournaments. Winning the Sultan of Johor Cup was a big motivating factor and the team is very well prepared for this tournament.”
“We have gone through two preparatory and two competition cycles which have helped the players gain the right amount of exposure. With the Senior team also based out of the same camp here at SAI, Bengaluru, we were able to get ample experience playing matches against them. The team is upbeat and we look to finish on the top,” he added.