The 2016 Men's Junior Hockey World Cup shall be underway from Thursday at the Major Dhyan Chand Stadium in Lucknow, India. The tournament shall be the 11 edition of the Junior Hockey World Cup.
India shall take on Canada in their opening encounter at the Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup, scheduled to begin at 7:00 pm on Thursday.
India would look to end its fifteen-year long wait and add to a second title after lifting the coveted title way back in 2001. The India team goes into the tournament as one of the major title contenders after winning the 4 nation invitational tournament in Valencia.
India’s junior men’s hockey team had notched up an emphatic 5-2 win over Germany to win the invitational tournament in Valencia.
Here is a closer look at the Indian team which shall lock horns against the opponents in the Junior Hockey World Cup.
Team Preview - INDIA
2016 Men's Junior Hockey World Cup - Team Preview | India
SUPPORT STAFF Coach: Harendra Singh Assistant Coach: Roger van Gent Manager: Roelant Oltmans Stand-In Manager: Romeo James FORWARDS Parvinder Singh- He’s a seasoned player. He’s played for Ranchi Rays for three years and then moved to Delhi Waveriders in HIL. Mandeep Singh- He has played 2014 FIH World Cup, Champions Trophy and is a regular member of the senior team. He brings in a lot of experience into this junior team with his prolific scoring capabilities. Simranjeet Singh- A quality forward, but he also has the capabilities of playing as a midfielder besides being the striker. MIDFIELDERS Harjeet Singh (Captain)- He takes the responsibility on the field as well as off it. He never loses his temper on the pitch, which is one of the best things about any leader. This is his second Junior World Cup, so he will know how to absorb the pressure. Santa Singh- He can play in defence as well as midfield. He is very solid in defence, but he can join the attack as well. Nilakanta Sharma- A multi-utility guy who is one of the most skillful players in the midfield. He is a composed player. Sumit- He is one of the fittest players in the team, and he gives it his all on the pitch. DEFENDERS Dipsan Tirkey(Vice-Captain)- He is a great one-to-one tackler. He never loses his cool and confidence, which is impressive for a youngster. Harmanpreet Singh- He was part of the team for Rio Olympics. Besides being an effective dragflicker, one of his biggest strengths is that he is also a good tackler. Generally, dragflickers are never good tacklers. Varun Kumar- He’s high on confidence after scoring lots of goals in the last few tournaments. Vikramjit Singh- He’s a multi-utility player, who can play in any position in the defensive unit. He’s a good dragflicker and first runner, with a lot of potential to join the attack as well. GOALKEEPER Vikas Dahiya - He has played Olympics and Asia Cup. He has become a more confident player, and has played good hockey over the last one-and-a-half years.