FIH Junior World Cup: Game time against seniors invaluable, says coach Reid

Bhubaneswar, November 22

Playing practice matches against the senior hockey team in the absence of overseas competition was “valuable preparation” for the Indian side ahead of the FIH Junior World Cup, chief coach Graham Reid said today.

The tournament is slated for November 24 to December 5 at the Kalinga Stadium here and India will be defending the title they won in 2016.

“While we did not have overseas competition, the teams played some practice games against the senior team in Bhubaneswar, which were quite valuable. Since arriving in Bhubaneswar, we have been getting used to the stadium,” Reid said.

“The Kalinga Hockey Stadium is truly iconic. It’s good that we are getting to train here before we start,” he added on the team’s preparations.

Defending champions India are placed in Group B, along with Canada, France, and Poland, who all arrived in the city last week.

The junior side, led by Vivek Sagar Prasad, will be looking to retain the prestigious trophy as they take centrestage on home turf. “Our team became the champions in 2016 and now our aim is to continue to perform in a similar manner,” Vivek, who was part of India’s historic bronze-winning performance at the Tokyo Olympics, said.

The stage is set as the 16 participating teams prepare to battle it out for top honours at the FIH event. — PTI