New Delhi, May 23 (Hindustan Times). The “Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023” begins today (May 23) in Salalah, Oman. The final match of the tournament will be played on June 1. The Indian junior men’s hockey team will play its first match against Chinese Taipei on Wednesday (May 24). Before the match, Indian team captain Uttam Singh has said that Junior Asia Cup is a big opportunity for us to prove our strength.
In a statement issued by Hockey India on Tuesday, Uttam Singh said that the good international experience we have gained over the years and the recent practice sessions at SAI Center Bengaluru, where we honed our skills, Based on what we played against the senior team, we are well placed to defend the title.
The team’s vice-captain Bobby Singh Dhami said that the team is not only looking forward to playing against the best young teams in Asia, but is more excited after winning the Sultan of Johor Cup last year.
“We are looking forward to testing our skills against some of the top teams in Asia and are aiming to give our best on the field while making it to the World Cup,” Dhami added. Also, winning the Sultan of Johor Cup last year has proved to be a confidence booster for us. I believe we are capable of defeating any team in the tournament and will make the country proud by winning the gold medal.
It is to be noted that the Indian team will begin their campaign in the Men’s Junior Asia Cup 2023 with a match against Chinese Taipei on May 24. After this, the team will take on Japan on May 25. The team will take on Pakistan on May 27 and play their last pool match against Thailand on May 28.
The ten participating teams in the tournament are divided into two pools. Pool A comprises India, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Pakistan and Thailand. Pool B consists of Bangladesh, Korea, Malaysia and Uzbekistan along with hosts Oman.
In the pool stage, each team will play the other four teams in their pool once. The top two teams from both the pools (four in total) will qualify for the semi-finals. After this, the two teams that win the semi-finals will enter the finals. The losing semi-finalist teams will play in the bronze medal match. The two finalists and the bronze medalist will qualify for the Junior Hockey World Cup 2023. The Junior Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 will be played in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from December 5-16.
