The Indian team look forward to kick off their FIH Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Malaysia 2023 campaign with a victory when they take on their Asian counterpart, Korea, in the initial match of Pool C at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur on December 6.
Team Bharat is headed into the game with a strong mindset as they have established previously a better head-to-head record against Korea. Out of the six matches played between the two teams, Bharat holds the record for three wins while Korea had managed to bag just two wins, leaving the third match to result in a draw.
The last time both teams were head on with each other was during the semifinal of the Men’s Junior Asia Cup held earlier in 2023 where Bharat registered a massive 9-1 win over Korea.
“The wait is finally over for the World Cup, and we are very much confident of a good start. We recently played against Korea, so we are aware of the challenge, but the focus will be on us, on executing our plans, and playing good hockey,” the Indian Junior Men’s Hockey team Captain Uttam Singh was quoted while he was in conversation with Hockey India.
Meanwhile, coach CR Kumar said, “The players have worked hard, and are fully prepared for the tournament. Korea are a quality side, you can’t take them lightly. We have to respect every opponent, it is a bigger stage, so we will have to be cautious and back our strengths to get a good start in the tournament.”
two-time Junior World Champions, Bharat will then face Spain on December 7 and Canada on December 9, respectively in their Pool C matches. A top-two finish in the Pool stage will ensure a place for Bharat in the quarterfinals.
Uttam, who was part of the Indian Team’s fourth-place finish at the FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021, stated that they will go match-by-match in the tournament. “As always, our focus has been to go match-by-match, and our priority is to get a winning start and then focus on the following matches to proceed to the next stage of the tournament,” he said.
The quarterfinals, semifinals, and final of the tournament have been scheduled to take place on December 12, 14, and 16 respectively. Bharat will begin their campaign against Korea on December 5.
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