Mandeep Mor to lead Indian junior team in Sultan of Johor Cup hockey

Defender Mandeep Mor was on Monday named as captain of the 18-member Indian junior men's hockey team for the ninth Sultan of Johor Cup to be held in Johor Bahru, Malaysia from October 12 to 19.

While Mandeep will lead the side, Sanjay has been named as the vice-captain by Hockey India's selection committee.

India will face off against Malaysia, New Zealand, Japan, Australia and Great Britain in the round-robin league stage.

Defenders Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem and Sharda Nand Tiwari are the new additions.

Experienced Dilpreet Singh will spearhead the six-men forward line, which also has Gursahibjit Singh and Shilanand Lakra.

The two goalkeepers of the side are Prashant Kumar Chauhan and Pawan.

The Indian junior men's hockey team will be hoping to improve its performance in the Sultan of Johor Cup after finishing a disappointing sixth at the Eight-Nation Tournament in Madrid in June.

India coach B J Kariappa sounded confident about his team's performance in the upcoming tournament.

"The ninth Sultan of Johor Cup will be a fantastic experience for the Indian junior men's hockey team since top sides such as Australia and Great Britain will be taking part in the competition," he said.

"The players have been put through strenuous training and have improved their skills tremendously. However, they will have to find a way to apply their learnings on the field and execute their plans," the coach added.

Indian junior men's team:
Defenders: Sanjay (Vice-Captain), Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem, Pratap Lakra,