The Tribune: Defending champs India face Pakistan in opener

Johor Bahru, October 10

The Indian junior men’s team will start its title defence against traditional rivals Pakistan in the 5th Sultan of Johor Cup here on Sunday.

The six-team tournament will also provide the team with crucial match practice ahead of the Junior Men’s Asia Cup to be played next month.

The two-time defending champions will also face Britain (Monday), Argentina (Wednesday), Malaysia (Thursday) and Australia (Saturday) in the prestigious under-21 tournament.

In their past two encounters in the tournament, India have beaten Pakistan by huge margins — winning 6-0 in 2014 and 4-0 in 2013.

Coach Harendra Singh said that the team was well prepared after going through a month of intensive training.
“The team is excited and well prepared. Everyone is geared up for the challenge and looking at an exciting contest against Pakistan. We have beaten Pakistan in the past and in both the encounters our boys outplayed them,” Harendra said. “In the last two editions, the team showed its mettle during the crucial moments.”

However, Harendra is not giving much importance to past records. “We will start the campaign tomorrow with a fresh mind. We expect a great match and a positive result in our opening game,” he added.

Captain Harjeet Singh said: “Playing against Pakistan is always special to us as we play with more zeal against them. We have beaten them earlier but we are not taking them lightly. They have the ability to surprise the opponents and any silly mistake will put us in trouble.” — IANS