Uttam Singh was appointed captain while Rajinder Singh will serve as his deputy as Hockey India on Monday announced a 20-member Indian junior men’s team for the Sultan of Johor Cup to be held from October 27 to November 4 in Malaysia. The 11th edition of the tournament will feature eight teams instead of the customary six. India have been placed in Pool B along with Malaysia, Pakistan, and New Zealand, while Pool A will consist of Germany, Australia, South Africa, and Great Britain.
“The selection committee has taken all previous tournaments into consideration to come up with a well-balanced team to compete and succeed in the 11th Sultan of Johor Cup,” coach CR Kumar said in a release.
“We are looking to encourage and give an opportunity to players who have the skills to outperform the opponent, to play penetrative passes between lines.
“The tournament is also an opportunity to assess and understand six nations that will be heading to the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023 and it’s being played under the same climate conditions that we can expect at Kuala Lumpur in December.” The goalkeeping role will be performed by the reliable duo of Mohith H S and Ranvijay Singh Yadav, while the defenders travelling to Johor are Amandeep Lakra, Rohit, Sunil Jojo, Sukhvinder, Amir Ali, and Yogember Rawat.
