Bengaluru, Oct 6 (IANS): Hockey India on Sunday announced the 18-member junior men's team, set to participate in the 12th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia.

Newly appointed head coach PR Sreejesh will take charge of the team in Malaysia, with Amir Ali serving as captain and Rohit named as his deputy.

India will begin their campaign against Japan on October 19, followed by a clash with Great Britain on October 20. After a day’s rest, India will face hosts Malaysia on October, 22 followed by a match with Australia on October 23.

In the last group stage match, on October 25, India will take on New Zealand and hope to finish among the top two teams in the pool in order to advance to the final on October 26.

Defender Amir Ali and forward Gurjot Singh are the two players, who recently played at the Asian Champions Trophy 2024 in Moqi, China and helped India retain their title. Amir filled in seamlessly for the injured defender Sanjay in the tournament, while Gurjot led the forward line in all the matches and showed immense potential.

"The Sultan of Johor Cup is an important tournament in our calendar as always. The tournament will serve as a litmus test for the team ahead of the Men’s Junior Asia Cup Muscat 2024 in November this year. All the players are excited to play some intense hockey matches in Malaysia," captain Amir said.

Vice-captain Rohit also joined him by saying, "We have an Indian hockey legend taking charge of the team, the whole team is raring to go. PR Sreejesh is one of the most experienced players to play for India, and we look forward to making him proud in our first tournament. The mood in the camp has been excellent and we want to capitalise on this by showcasing our potential at the Sultan of Johor Cup."

Sqaud-

Goalkeepers: Bikramjit Singh, Ali Khan

Defenders: Amir Ali (C), Talem Priyobarta, Shardanand Tiwari, Sukhvinder, Anmol Ekka, Rohit (VC)

Midfielders: Ankit Pal, Manmeet Singh, Rosan Kujur, Mukesh Toppo, Chandan Yadav

Forwards: Gurjot Singh, Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Dilraj Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Mohd. Konain Dad