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The Indian junior men’s hockey team is all set to take part in the 5th Sultan of Johur Cup in Malaysia and will be looking to win the tournament for the straight 3rd time in the tournament’s history. The tournament is being organised by the Malaysian Hockey Federation from 11th October to 18th October in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.
The junior Blues team will have to face the likes of Pakistan, Malaysia, Great Britain, Argentina and Australia in order to defend the title for the straight second time. The inaugural match will see the junior teams from Australia and Argentina clash in what we all are hoping to be a fierce encounter between the two big shots of hockey. The Blues will start their campaign against their arch-rivals Pakistan in the next encounter on the opening day.
“I am sure they go all out to achieve it”: Mushtaque Ahmed
Mohammad Mushtaque Ahmed, Secretary General, Hockey India, explaining the importance of the upcoming tournament said, “It’s a very important tournament for us for two reasons. Firstly because we are aiming at continuing our winning streak and defending the title which the team has successfully done for the last two editions. Secondly the win here will help boost the team for the upcoming 8th Men’s Junior Asia Cup as they are vying for the Asian Champions title,” as Hockey India reports.
The tournament will be played in a round-robin format with each team playing other teams once and the top 4 teams qualifying for the semi-finals. The Indian team enters the tournament as one of the favourites to win for the 3rd straight time.
Mr. Ahmed added, “This team is very ambitious in their targets and I am sure they go all out to achieve it. I am confident they will live upto their own expectations and come back victorious.”
Currently, the junior team is undergoing a 3-week preparatory camp at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in New Delhi under their head coach Harendra Singh. According to the head coach, the team still needs to work on their defensive structure in order to keep the likes of Australia and Argentina at bay.
Here is the Schedule for the Junior Blues group stage matches:
| Date | Time (IST) | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11th Oct 2015 | 16:05 | Pakistan | Johur |
| 12th Oct 2015 | 16:05 | Great Britain | Johur |
| 14th Oct 2015 | 16:05 | Argentina | Johur |
| 15th Oct 2015 | 16:05 | Malaysia | Johur |
| 17th Oct 2015 | 16:05 | Australia | Johur |
