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The Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team, led by captain Araijeet Singh Hundal, left for Berlin to join the 4 Nations Tournament from June 21-25 for the 2025 FIH Junior World Cup.
The Indian Junior Men’s Squad. (Picture Credit: Hockey India)
The Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team departed for Berlin, Germany on Wednesday morning to participate in the upcoming 4 Nations Tournament, scheduled from June 21 to 25.
Under the leadership of captain Araijeet Singh Hundal, the team will face host Germany in their first pool stage match on June 21. This will be followed by matches against Australia on June 22 and Spain on June 24.
The top two teams from the pool stage will compete for the top position, while the bottom two teams will vie for the third and fourth spots on June 25. All matches will be held at TC 1899 Blau Weiß, Berlin.
Before their departure, Indian Junior Men’s Team Captain Araijeet Singh Hundal commented, “This tournament is crucial for us ahead of the FIH Junior World Cup 2025. With just a few months to go, it’s the perfect opportunity for us to assess our strengths, try out new combinations, and identify areas for improvement. We’ll be facing some of the best hockey teams, which will allow us to test our strength and try different strategies.”
Vice-captain Amir Ali added, “We want to fill any gaps we might have before the World Cup in November. The 4 Nations Tournament will be a perfect testing ground not only for the team but for individual players as we will be able to assess our strengths and weaknesses and improve upon them accordingly.”
The FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2025 will be held in Chennai and Madurai from November 28 to December 10 this year. With less than six months remaining for the global hockey event, the 4 Nations Tournament serves as an essential preparatory platform for the Indian colts.
So far, India has secured two gold medals and one silver medal in 14 editions of the FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup. The country’s first medal came in 1997 at Milton Keynes in England when the team lost 3-2 to Australia in the final, settling for a silver. Four years later in Hobart, Australia, India won the Junior World Cup for the first time. In the last two editions of the event in 2021 and 2023, India finished fourth.
With IANS Inputs
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