Hockey: India's junior team leaves for Australia

New Delhi, Dec 1: India's junior men's hockey team today left for Brisbane to play a five-match Test series against hosts Australia to be held from December 2-13. After their senior's historic series win Down Under in a similar five-Test series, the Indian colts will be closely followed in the upcoming tour.

All the matches, looked upon as a preparation for next year's eighth men's Junior Asia Cup, will be played at the Gold Coast, Australia. Speaking on the present team and upcoming tour, coach Harendra Singh said: "This is a very young and capable team and as a unit they can give a tough time to the opponents on any given day."

"The team during the Sultan of Johor Cup showcased that they are hungry to win and is open to take on newer challenges. I will not be surprised if I see couple of players from this team graduating very soon to the senior team."

Captain of the junior team, Harjeet Singh is confident of his team's fine show at the upcoming tour. "We are confident of the matches we are due to play in Australia and will be looking at winning the series. Post the Sultan of Johor Cup in October this year, the team looks very confident to take on newer challenges. I am happy that we have players like Harmanpreet Singh, a very promising player who gives all of us the motivation to go for the kill," he said.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Abhinav Kumar Pandey, Jugraj Singh. Defenders: Varun Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Turkey, Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Anand Lakra. Midfielders: Harjeet Singh (captain), Imran Khan (vice-captain), Santa Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sumit. Forwards: Parvinder Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Sumit Toppo, Mandeep Singh, Arman Qureshi.

PTI