Indian junior men's hockey team captain Amir Ali admitted that they were disappointed after failing to qualify for the final of the Sultan of Johor Cup but said a bronze medal was much better than returning home empty-handed. (More Hockey News)
India beat New Zealand in a tense shoot-out in the third-fourth place classification match to clinch the bronze medal in the junior tournament at Johor Bahru, Malaysia last Saturday.
"We were very disappointed after missing out on the final due to goal difference. But as a team, we decided, there was no point looking back at what we could have done better. We decided to focus on the bronze-medal match and told ourselves that we can't go back home empty-handed," Ali said after returning to Bengaluru.
India remained on top of the points table throughout the tournament with strong performances against Japan (4-2), Great Britain (6-4), Malaysia (4-2), and New Zealand (3-3). But the 0-4 loss against eventual winners Australia cost them dearly as they missed out on a spot in the final to Great Britain by one-goal difference.
It was the legendary goalkeeper PR Sreejesh's first assignment as coach of the Indian junior men's team.
"At least 12 players in the team were playing a big tournament for the first time. They had earlier played the Test series but they were new to a tournament setup. Sree bhai (Sreejesh) is the best mentor we could have had," Ali said.
"He constantly spoke to us about enjoying the matches and we played without taking any pressure. This was largely why we bounced back even after conceding goals and ended up winning those matches too," said the member of the Indian team that won the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2022.
"He would talk to us about going step by step in the match and even during half-time breaks, when we would be behind in scoreline, he would tell us how we can go about without being under pressure. It was only that match against Australia where we lost by a huge goal margin that cost us dearly."
Back to business at SAI, Bengaluru, the Indian junior team has now set its focus on winning the Junior Asia Cup title, a qualifying tournament for next year's FIH Junior World Cup.
The Junior Asia Cup begins on November 26 in Muscat, Oman.
"We are back in the camp and have begun our preparations for the Junior Asia Cup. The next few months are crucial for us as we prepare for the Junior World Cup on home soil," Ali said.
"Being in the same campus as the senior team helps us a lot. Even for me personally, the experience I gained playing with the senior team has helped in guiding the newcomers in the junior side. I have learnt a lot from Harmanpreet Singh and Manpreet," he said.
