Junior Indian hockey team confident ahead of Australia tour

New Delhi, December 1 Junior Indian men's hockey team captain Harjeet Singh said on Monday that his boys were confident of putting up a good show when they take on Australia in a five-match Test series Down Under.

The team, which left for Brisbane Monday, will play the games at Gold Coast from December 2^nd to December 13^th to prepare for the eighth Junior Asia Cup in 2015.

"We are confident of the matches we are due to play in Australia and will be looking at winning the series. Post continuing our dominance during the Sultan of Johor Cup in October, the team looks very confident to take on newer challenges. I am happy that we have players like Harmanpreet Singh, a very promising player who gives all of us the motivation to go for the kill," Harjeet said.

Elaborating on the upcoming series, coach Harendra Singh said, "This is a very young and capable team and as a unit they can give a tough time to the opponents on any given day.

"The team during the Sultan of Johor Cup showcased that they are hungry to win and is open to take on newer challenges. I will not be surprised if I see couple of players from this team graduating very soon to the senior team."

Squad:

Goalkeepers: Abhinav Kumar Pandey, Jugraj Singh

Defenders: Varun Kumar, Harmanpreet Singh, Dipsan Turkey, Gurinder Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Anand Lakra

Midfielders: Harjeet Singh (captain), Imran Khan (vice-captain), Santa Singh, Manpreet Singh, Sumit

Forwards: Parvinder Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Sumit Toppo, Mandeep Singh, Arman Qureshi