By RAJESH RAVINDRAN
HYDERABAD

July 10: Defending champions India will look to garner full points when they take on Japan in their Pool A match as the Junior Asian Hockey Championship kicks off at the Gachibowli Stadium on Friday.

The tournament also provides an opportunity for the youngsters to prove all is not lost for Indian hockey. The humiliation of not qualifying for the Olympics for the first time ever and the subsequent IHF fiasco has shown the national game in poor light. Now, the juniors are itching to shine through.

Riding high on the team’s recent string of good performances, coach A.K. Bansal oozed confidence about their chances. “This team has huge potential, evident from their performances in the Azlan Shah tournament and the eight-nation event in Kuala Lumpur,” the coach said.

“This side was only put together a year back but the boys have picked up so well. Even though we fielded a side with players from the junior category in a senior tourney like Azlan Shah, we finished with a silver”

Talking about Saturday’s match, Bansal felt “confident about the midfield, which has been sharpened in the month-long practice camp preceding the tournament.”

Bansal is looking at Divakar Ram to provide the fireworks as the penalty corner specialist has been turning in good performances of late.

“In the eight-nation tournament he was the top scorer with seven goals and in Kuala Lumpur he hit 12. Along with most of the players in the side, Divakar also has the experience of playing in the senior side.”

India will also expect forwards Gurvinder Chandi and S.V. Sunil and midfielders Gurbaj Singh, Amardeepika, Vivek and Ranjith Singh, all of whom are capable hands on their day, to do well.

Japanese coach Yamanaka Manabu admitted India were a strong team but said his team would put up a fight. “We will give it our best shot. We too have gifted players like captain Mizawa Takayasu and drag flick specialist Kavayi Yohe,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan take on Oman in a Pool B match on the day.

Though Pakistan are strong contenders, Oman coach Alan Sinclair said his team were well-prepared. “We have been training extremely hard. We will do all we can to win, ” Sinclair said.

In another match, Bangladesh will play a patient game against the speedy South Koreans, according to coach Mohammed Nurul Islam. “We will try to ascertain the situation and play accordingly,” Islam said.

Singapore will vie with Malaysia also in Pool B. Malaysia, after been beaten in the Azlan Shah semifinal, will certainly come back hard in a match that should be a tough one for Singapore