Lucknow’s Amir Ali to lead Indiain men’s Jr Asia Cup hockey c’ship

Lucknow: Lucknow lad and defender Amir Ali will lead the 20-member Indian squad in the men's Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament in Muscat starting Nov 26. Rohit has been named vice-captain.Besides Amir, another hockey player from Lucknow, Shardanand Tiwari, has been included in the team.India have won this tournament for a record four times in 2004, 2008, 2015 and 2023. Last year, India defeated Pakistan 2-1 in the final to lift the title.A month ago, Amir led the team in Sultan of Johor Cup under the supervision of former Indian Olympian goalkeeper PR Sreejesh.This year, the event will have 10 teams from the continent which will be divided into two pools with India, Chinese Taipei, Japan, Korea and Thailand clubbed in Pool A while Bangladesh, Malaysia, China, Oman and Pakistan are in Pool B.The tournament is also a qualifying event for next year's FIH Junior World Cup and India have automatically qualified for it by virtue of being hosts.Talking to TOI, Amir Ali said, "As a captain, the responsibility presently lies not only in securing victory, but in safeguarding the title we've previously earned. We aspire to win gold this time as well. There are 4-5 seasoned players who have participated in significant international tournaments while the remaining 9-10 are newcomers.""I have played with coach Sreejesh previously in the Pro League and accompanied him once for the Australia tour. In the Sultan of Johor Cup, we had a fresh squad, and coach Sreejesh was unfamiliar with other players. We have extensively rectified the shortcomings displayed in the Sultan of Johor Cup. Sreejesh's presence provides our goalkeepers a considerable advantage," he added."Our team is remarkably enthusiastic. When a team wins a medal in an international tournament, the spirit is elevated. The fresh young squad is thrilled because participating in a second major international tournament in a month is indeed aspirational," Amir said.Squad: Goalkeepers: Princedeep Singh, Bikramjit Singh; Defenders: Amir Ali (C), Talem Priyobarta, Shardanand Tiwari, Yogember Rawat, Anmol Ekka, Rohit (VC); Midfielders: Ankit Pal, Manmeet Singh, Rosan Kujur, Mukesh Toppo, Thokchom Kingson Singh; Forwards: Gurjot Singh, Sourabh Anand Kushwaha, Dilraj Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Araijeet Singh Hundal; Alternate Players: Sukhvinder and Chandan Yadav.