Coach Jude Felix promises top-quality hockey from India juniors

Felix replaced Harendra Singh as coach this year, and it will be the team's first assignment since winning the Junior World Cup under Harendra last year.

India's junior men's hockey team for the 2017 Sultan of Johor Cup (Photo: Hockey India)

New Delhi: India's junior men's hockey team coach Jude Felix has said that his wards will showcase "top-quality hockey" at the 7th Sultan of Johor Cup, which begins ion October 22 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia.

The Indian team, captained by Vivek Sagar Prasad with Pratap Lakra as his deputy, will go into the tournament aiming to gain exposure and experience against players from top international teams at the junior level.

Japan, Australia, Great Britain, the United States and Malaysia are the other five participating teams in the tournament. India will play a match each with them through the round-robin format.

The 18-member squad had been going through the grind at the national camp at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre in Lucknow. 

"We have done our preparations at the national camp keeping in mind the teams we will be up against at the Sultan of Johor Cup. It is important for this young bunch to get accustomed to performing against the top teams and players from across the world. I am confident that we will showcase top-quality hockey in Malaysia," Felix said as they left from the Indira Gandhi International Airport here on Tuesday for Malaysia.

The Indian team finished runners-up the last time they took part in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2015 and captain Prasad is aiming to better that result. 

"We have a great bunch of players who have shown cohesion during our national camp. All the team members bring something extra to our style of play and it will stand us in good stead ahead of the tournament`s opening match against Japan," said Prasad, who hails from Madhya Pradesh.

A good performance in Malaysia will prove to be a stepping stone for the Indian team that starts its journey as reigning world champion.