Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], August 14 : The Indian junior men’s and women’s hockey teams departed for their European tour from Bengaluru on Monday.
"They will be flying to Germany for the 4 Nations Tournament- Dusseldorf 2023, where both teams will be in action against England, Spain, and hosts Germany," Hockey India said in an official statement.
The tournament will be part of the preparations for the upcoming prestigious FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup 2023, scheduled to be played in Malaysia from December 5 to December 16 2023 and for the Women’s FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2023, scheduled to be played in Santiago, Chile from November 29 to December 10.
Vishnukant Singh will captain the Indian junior men's team, as Uttam Singh is unable to travel due to an injury he sustained during the training camp. It should be noted that Sourabh Anand Kushwaha has been named as Uttam's replacement in the squad, with Boby Singh Dhami remaining as vice-captain.
Meanwhile, the Indian Junior Women’s Team will be captained by Preeti and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal is the vice-captain. The Junior Men’s team will be in action from August 18 to 22, while the Indian Junior Women’s team will be in action from August 19 to 23.
Speaking ahead of the team’s departure, Indian junior men’s hockey team captain Vishnukant Singh said, “We are really looking forward to this tour. Playing against quality sides in the lead-up to the FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup will give us a good learning experience. Having worked on our strengths and weaknesses over the past few months, we will aim to give our best in the tournament. Coming on the back of winning the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023, it will give us the confidence to play top European teams.”
Meanwhile, Indian junior women’s hockey team captain Preeti said, “We have been doing intense training sessions. The preparations have been really good, and our previous performances will be a massive confidence booster for the players. We have FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023 coming in December, so it will be a good time for us to implement and execute the strategies that we have been working on.”
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