Hockey India names 24 players for junior men's national camp

Hockey India on Sunday named a 24 member core probables for a junior men's national coaching camp, to be held in Bengaluru from September 17, ahead of the Sultan of Johor Cup.

The players will train under coach Jude Felix till October 4, as they prepare for the upcoming 8th Sultan of Johor Cup, slated to begin from October 6-13 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

Eight members from the Indian junior men's team that won the bronze medal at the last edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup including Pankaj Rajak, Suman Beck, Harmanjit Singh, Mandeep Mor have been selected for the camp.

The camp also includes several new faces who have received their first call-up to the junior national camp.

Coach Jude Felix has watched all the 24 players closely before giving them a call-up to the camp and the former Indian captain believes that it is crucial to train the upcoming crop of players well.

"We have selected these campers focusing on creating a team which can represent the senior team in the coming years. It is important for us to condition these players in a way that they help the country in becoming one of the best teams in the world," Felix said.

"Our focus will be on setting up a strong structured team, and understanding the right mix of 18 players who can help our team in producing our best performance at the 8th Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia," he added.

The coach also said special emphasis was given on improving skills, fitness and speed along with mental conditioning.