Newly appointed head coach of the Indian junior men’s hockey team PR Sreejesh selected an 18-member squad for the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia on Sunday.
This will be Sreejesh’s first assignment with the Indian junior team as a coach since he retired from international hockey at the Paris Olympics in August.
Amir Ali has been named captain of the team, while Rohit will serve as his deputy.
Defender Amir and forward Gurjot Singh recently won the Asian Champions Trophy in Moqi, China, with the Indian men’s senior team.
Amir filled in seamlessly for the injured defender Sanjay in the tournament while Gurjot led the forward line in all the matches and showed immense potential.
The Indian team will begin their campaign against Japan on October 19, followed by a clash against Great Britain on October 20.
After a day’s rest, India will face hosts Malaysia on October 22, followed by a match with Australia on October 23.
In the last group stage match, on October 25, India will take on New Zealand and hope to finish among the top two teams in the pool in order to advance to the final, scheduled for October 26.
Indian junior men’s team squad:
Goalkeepers: Bikramjit Singh, Ali Khan
Defenders: Amir Ali (C), Talem Priyobarta, Shardanand Tiwari, Sukhvinder, Anmol Ekka, Rohit (VC)
Midfielders: Ankit Pal, Manmeet Singh, Rosan Kujur, Mukesh Toppo, Chandan Yadav
Forwards: Gurjot Singh, Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Dilraj Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Konain Dad