Indian Junior men gear up for FIH Hockey Jr World Cup 2023

New Delhi, Nov 5 ( IANS) Indian junior men's desire to finish on the podium at the FIH Hockey Junior World Cup 2023, which is set to begin exactly a month from now - on December 5, has been boosted by their victory in their bronze medal match against archrivals Pakistan.

The prestigious event will feature 16 teams competing for honours, divided into 4 Pools. India are placed in Pool C, along with Spain, Korea, and Canada.

Argentina, Australia, Chile, and hosts Malaysia are in Pool A, while Germany, France, South Africa, and Egypt are in Pool B, and the Netherlands, Belgium, Pakistan, and New Zealand are in Pool D.

India will begin their campaign against Korea on December 5. They will play Spain on December 7 and Canada on December 9.

India finished 11th Sultan of Johor Cup 2023 with a bronze medal after defeating Pakistan 3-3 (6-5 SO) in the 3rd/4th place match.

The tournament served as a good preparation for the FIH men's junior World Cup, as they faced several world-class teams like Germany, New Zealand, Malaysia, and Pakistan.

"The team has performed well," Coach CR Kumar said, before adding, “However, I wouldn't call it satisfying because there are some things we could have done better."

"We will now return to Bangalore and use the weeks leading up to the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2023 to improve and sharpen the areas we identified during this performance in Johor Bahru. This tournament also provided us with insight into the performances of other teams that will compete in the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2023, and we will plan our strategies accordingly," he added.

India qualified for the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup 2023 after defeating arch-rivals Pakistan 2-1 in the Final of the 2023 Junior Asia Cup, which was held in Salalah, Oman.

--IANS

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