Uttam Singh to lead India in Junior Hockey World Cup

Talented forward Uttam Singh will lead India in the FIH Hockey Men's Junior World Cup, to be held in Kuala Lumpur from December 5 to 16.

India, the reigning Asian champions, are placed in Pool C alongside Canada, South Korea and Spain. They start their tournament campaign against Korea on December 5.

In their next fixtures, India meet Spain on December 7 and Canada on December 9.

India finished fourth in the last edition of the tournament, and coach C.R. Kumar said the team is all set to take their journey much forward.

“We have a formidable squad. We draw inspiration from the 2016 Junior World Cup-winning team. We are fortunate to have a bunch of seasoned players, who were part of the last Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar.

“They will shoulder leadership roles and mentor their teammates. Our ultimate priority is to clinch victory in the Junior World Cup, and we are committed to taking measured steps,” said Kumar.

Pool A has defending champions Argentina, Australia, Chile, and Malaysia. Pool B includes Egypt, France, Germany and South Africa.

Pool D sets the stage for fierce competition with Belgium, Netherlands, New Zealand and Pakistan vying for a quarter-final berth.

India’s squad:

Goalkeepers: Mohit HS, Ranvijay Singh Yadav.

Defenders: Shardanand Tiwari, Amandeep Lakra, Rohit, Sunil JoJo, Amir Ali.

Midfielders: Vishnukant Singh, Poovanna C B, Rajinder Singh, Amandeep, Aditya Singh.

Forwards: Uttam Singh (Captain), Aditya Lalage, Araijeet Singh Hundal (vice-captain), Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Sudeep Chirmako, Boby Singh Dhami.

Reserve players: Sukhvinder, Sunit Lakra.