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Perched as they are at the top of the points table after having scored a dozen goals in two encounters, the Indian colts have a lot to be pleased about - more so, because their principal rivals are yet to come to the party at Johor Bahru.
Defending champions Great Britain overcame some stubborn resistance from New Zealand in their first encounter, and managed to labour past the Japanese in the second to come away with a couple of less-than-convincing wins while the Australians dropped a point against Malaysia after beating Japan by the odd goal in three in their opener.
Playing a fast, fluent, and aggressive brand of hockey, BJ Kariappa's boys have made their intentions clear early on in the competition with the other top sides unable to find their rhythm just yet.
Yet, there is still a long way to go especially since the Indians are still to play Great Britain and Australia - after having lost to both teams in the Eight-Nations Invitational in Madrid in June.
The Japanese fought hard against both Australia and Great Britain losing by an identical 1-2 margin against both and will be expected to make it hard for the in-form Indians this afternoon - much like they did last October when a lone goal from Mandeep Mor goal helped his team earn full points.
A plethora of sublime talent is on display for the Indians with juniors like Sanjay, Maninder, Suman Beck, and Pratap Lakra coming to the fore along with more experienced internationals like Dilpreet Singh, Shilanand Lakra, and Mandeep Mor which augurs well for the future of the senior side as well.
Here is how you can catch all the action:
Event: Sultan of Johor Cup 2019
Venue: Johor Bahru, Malaysia
Date: 15 October 2019
Time: 3:35 pm Indian Standard Time (IST)
Telecast: No telecast in India
Live Streaming: Notthefootyshow
Prediction:
The Japanese boys will need to play out of their skins to counter the 2018 silver-medalists who have 12 goals for and 4 against - but Mandeep Mor and co. would do well to plug the gaps in defence in their third encounter before the business end of the tournament begins.
Score Prediction: India 5-1 Japan
