Hockey teams set for double title defence as Junior Asia Cup begins in China

The Indian under-21 men’s hockey team will eye a record-extending sixth title, while the women will chase a hat-trick of trophies when the defending champions in both categories begin their AHF Junior Asia Cup campaigns here on Friday.

The women’s team, which lifted the Asia Cup trophy in the last two editions, will be led by midfielder Khaidem Shileima Chanu this time.

The team has undergone a structured training programme under coach Tim White, who assumed charge earlier this year.

As part of their preparations, an extended squad undertook an exposure tour of the United Kingdom, where they played matches against Scotland Senior Women, USA U-21, England U-21 and Belgium U-21.

India, placed in the Elite Pool, will begin their campaign against South Korea on September 5. The team will then face Malaysia on September 6, before taking on Japan on September 8 and hosts China on September 9.

“Our first game is against South Korea on Saturday, so we are preparing for that. The team has acclimatized well. The weather is a bit cooler (in Moqi), but conditions are good and we are really looking forward to Match 1,” said White in a press release issued by Hockey India.

“In terms of our expectations, we prepared well in Bengaluru over a number of months, including a tour of UK and some games against a combined team.”