The Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team is all set to feature in the Junior Hockey World Cup in Bhubaneshwar. The Blue Colts will have their task cut out as they look to defend their title at home. Having watched the Junior team for some time now Indian Hockey team skipper and ace custodian Manpreet Singh and PR Sreejesh shared their thoughts on the team’s preparations ahead of the showpiece event.
“The team has been doing fantastic during the last couple of months in Bengaluru. Recently, we played a couple of games against them. They seemed ready to start the Junior Hockey World Cup ,” stated PR Sreejesh, who was fantastic for India at the Tokyo Olympics.
Indian skipper Manpreet Singh revealed how the Indian Junior Men’s team defeated the seniors in one of the matches during their training sessions as he feels that if they play together as a team they can retain their crown.
“They actually beat us in one of the games we played. I am pretty confident they have the ability to reach the Final. And if they continue to play as a team throughout the tournament, they can win the trophy,” stated Manpreet Singh.
The 29-year-old who led India to the historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics revealed how he has given captaincy advice to young midfielder Vivek Sagar Prasad. The 21-year-old will lead th Junior team in this World Cup. “I have spoken to Vivek many times. I told him the main thing for them is to remain as a team. Winning and losing is part of the game. But when we lose, there is a tendency to point fingers, but I told him that the team should not do that, and just focus on your game, and just stay as a team. And that will help you win every match,” the Indian skipper added.
The Junior Hockey World Cup will be played behind closed doors. PR Sreejesh feels that it is a blow for the Indian team as they would love to play in front of their people cheering them on in every match. However, he feels that playing at the Kalinga Stadium will be a different experience for the Junior team.
