With Thailand pulling out of the sixth Men’s Junior Asia Hockey Cup, the tournament will now begin on July 11 and go on till 18 instead of the original July 8-18.

China had already pulled out of the tournament last month, and Thailand joining China, the number of participants has reduced from ten to eight. The top six teams will qualify for ninth Junior Men’s World Cup to be held jointly in Malaysia and Singapore from June 7-21, 2009.

Now, Pool A consists of India, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, while Pakistan, South Korea, Bangladesh and Oman form Pool B.

Indian coach AK Bansal said that the change in schedule would help his team prepare well for the event. “Thailand’s withdrawal doesn’t make any difference to us. Our boys will get more time to sharpen their skills for the event,” Bansal told Hindustan Times on Friday .

He confirmed that the final selection trials of the Indian team, which was scheduled from July 2-4, have also been advanced. Now, it would be conducted on June 28-29 in Hyderabad.