NEW DELHI: Hockey India (HI) has pruned down the list of core group probables of the junior men’s team to 33 players from 53 after an intense selection trials, which concluded last week at the SAI centre in Bengaluru.
The selected 33 players will continue their training at the national camp in Bengaluru for the upcoming tournaments.
HI, on May 24, had named a total of 53 players for a five-week camp after the conclusion of the Hockey India 7th junior men national hockey championship.
During the course of the camp, the selection trials were conducted under the purview of HI’s Director High Performance, David John to identify a core group of players who will go on to represent the country at the upcoming tournaments.
The core group was selected on the basis of speed, agility, skill and basic understanding of the game.
The aim behind organising the national camp for the juniors is to develop a core group of players for the 2020 Junior World Cup, where the team will be defending the coveted title won last year in Lucknow.
“These 33 players will go through a development process which will see them transform into a strong pool of players who can go on to represent the country in future international tournaments,” said John.
“We conducted selection trials last week where we have tried and tested all the 53 players on the basis of their basics, strength, skills, speed and understanding of the game, and have been able to select the 33 best players who will be prepared for the upcoming tournaments.
“One of the main criteria for their selection was also their age. Only those born on or after 1.1.1999 have been selected in the core group as this is the age cut off for the 2020 Junior World Cup,” he added.
Core Probables:
Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, Tanuj Gulia, Prashant Kumar Chauhan, AS Sentamizh Arasu.
Defenders: Suman Beck, Prince, Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem, Mohd. Faraz, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Akshay Avasthi, Mandeep Mor, Pratap Lakra, Sanjay.
Midfielders: Sunny Malik, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vishal Singh, Rahul, Sukhjeet Singh, Yashdeep Siwach, Vishal Antil, Harmanjit Singh, Varinder Singh, Rahul Kumar Rajbhar.
Forwards: Raushan Kumar, Mohd Alishan, Jai Prakash Patel, Shilanand Lakra, Anand Kumar Bara, Mohd. Saif Khan, Dilpreet Singh, Maninder Singh, Shivam Anand, Abhishek. (AGENCIES)
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