Hockey India names 18-member junior team for Sultan of Johor Cup

Hockey India on Wednesday named an 18-member junior men's team for the upcoming Sultan of Johor Cup to be held in Malaysia from October 6-13.

The Indian team is scheduled to play five round-robin matches against Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and Great Britain. It will play its opening match against host Malaysia on October 6.

The top two teams at the end of the round-robin matches will face each other in the final on October 13 whereas the remaining four teams will play classification matches.

The tournament will be played in Johor Bahru.

The team will be captained by Mandeep Mor, while Shilanand Lakra will shoulder the duties of vice-captain.

The team includes goalkeepers Kamalbir Singh and Pankaj Kumar Rajak, defenders Suman Beck, Mohd. Faraz, Somjeet, Mandeep Mor, Prince and Varinder Singh, while the midfield will be commanded by Yashdeep Siwach, Harmanjit Singh, Vishnu Kant Singh, Gopi Kumar Sonkar, Vishal Antil and Haspreet Singh.

The forward line will feature Gursahabjit Singh, Abhishek, Prabhjot Singh and Shilanand Lakra.

"We have selected the team keeping in mind the exposure that these young players will be getting at the tournament. We will be up against some of the best teams in the youth category, and we believe that this set of players can challenge the other teams for the title in Johor Bahru," HI High Performance Director David John said.

"Coach Jude Felix has tried different combinations during the tour of Belgium and during the National Camp in Bengaluru, and these 18 players have shown great ability and desire to succeed. It will be a crucial tournament for some of them as this will be their first major assignment with the Indian junior team.