Juniors focus on match fitness after Pak setback

New Delhi, November 12 : The disappointment of having to pull out of their Pakistan tour apart, the junior India Hockey team are now preparing to compete against the likes of Air India, ONGC and PSB in the Senior Nehru Hockey Tournament beginning November 14 in Gurgaon.

Entered as India Colts in the tournament, the juniors do not want to waste any more time as they seek to get some much wanted match practice before the Junior World Cup in Singapore-Malaysia next June.

Speaking to The Indian Express, coach AK Bansal said his boys were looking forward to competing against some of the well-known PSU sides after the cancellation of their trip to Lahore. The team were asked to return to Delhi following the External Affairs Ministry’s instruction owing to security reasons.

“We arrived from Amritsar this morning and headed straight to Gurgaon to enter our team in the Nehru tournament. This will keep our boys match-fit before their trip to Argentina next month,” he said.