Hockey India today named an 18-member Indian Junior Men Team, including three from Odisha for the 12th FIH Hockey Mens Junior World Cup, slated to be hosted by Government of Odisha at Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar from 24 November to 5 December 2021.

The three Odisha players are: Sudeep Chirmako, Abhishek Lakra and Sunil Jojo. The trio belongs to Sundargarh district and Senior Sports Hostel, Bhubaneswar. Though there were five players from Odisha in the list of 24 core probables, Sahil Kumar Nayak and Cyril Lugun could not make it to the final squad.

India will be the defending champions in the ensuing editon of the Mens Junior World Cup, which would feature a total of 16 teams from across the globe. India had won the title in the previous edition in 2016, held in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.

Vivek Sagar Prasad, who was part of Indian team that won the historic bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games earlier this year, will lead the Indian team in the Junior World Cup. Defender Sanjay, who was part of the India U-18 team that won silver at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos Aires will shoulder the responsibility of Vice-Captain.

Dinachandra Singh Moirangthem and Boby Singh Dhami have been chosen as alternate players who will be allowed to play only if there is an injury or someone in the 18-member squad is ruled out of the tournament due to Covid-19.

According to Chief Coach Graham Reid, the Indian Junior Team is undergoing preparations in Bhubaneswar where they are putting in the hard yards needed to succeed in the tournament. "The players have been thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to train for the last few days at Kalinga Hockey Stadium which has become an icon in our sport. Even though the ground will be empty, the Olympics have proven that the spectacle of hockey can still be enjoyed by everyone involved," stated Reid highlighting the excitement of the team ahead of the tournament.  

India will begin their campaign on 24 November against France. They will take on Canada on 25th November in their second match in the round robin league, followed by their match against Poland on 27th November. The knockout matches will take place between 1 December and 5 December as the teams will look to become the champions of the prestigious quadrennial event. The other teams in the fray include Belgium, The Netherlands, Argentina, Germany, Canada, South Africa, Egypt, Pakistan, Korea, Malaysia, Poland, France, Chile, Spain and USA.

INDIA U-21 TEAM: Shardanand Tiwari, Prashant Chauhan (GK), Sanjay (VC), Sudeep Chirmako, Rahul Kumar Rajbhar, Maninder Singh, Pawan (GK), Vishnukant Singh, Ankit Pal, Uttam Singh, Sunil Jojo, Manjeet, Rabichandra Singh Moirangthem, Vivek Sagar Prasad (C), Abhishek Lakra, Yashdeep Siwach, Gurmukh Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal.