Johor (Malaysia). Two-time Olympic medalist veteran PR Sreejesh will face his first big test as India’s new junior men’s hockey coach when the Under-21 team begins its campaign in the 12th Sultan of Johor Cup here on Saturday. This 36-year-old former goalkeeper had retired from the game as a player after the Indian team won bronze in the Paris Olympics. He soon after took charge of the junior team which is entering the Sultan Johor Kama with the intention of becoming champion for the fourth time.
India won 3-1 over Japan in their last match in the Junior Asia Cup in May 2023 and also defeated this team 5-1 in the 2022 Sultan of Johor Cup. Captain Aamir Ali said in a release here, “The team is training well under the leadership of new head coach PR Sreejesh and we are excited to play our first tournament with him.” After losing, we could not defend our title. This time our preparation is good and we are ready to compete with any team in the competition.
The Indian team has won this title in 2013, 2014 and 2022. The team has also finished second in this competition four times. After Japan, the Indian team will play Great Britain on October 20, host Malaysia on October 22 and then Australia on October 23. India will play its last match against New Zealand on October 25 in the group stage. The top two placed teams in the league stage will meet in the final on October 26. “We have been training hard for the last few days to be in the best shape ahead of the Sultan of Johor Cup,” Indian vice-captain Rohit said.
He said, “This time there are many new players in the team who are excited to show their ability on the field. All the players are encouraging each other to improve their game. Along with this competition, our eyes are also on the Junior Men’s Asia Cup to be played in Muscat in November.” After playing an important role in winning the medal for the Indian team in Paris, Sreejesh had said that he always had the ambition of coaching and wanted to help the youth. He wanted to become the Rahul Dravid of Indian hockey by guiding the next generation of players. Before working as the coach of the senior team, Dravid had mentored the Under-19 players for a long time.
