Indian hockey colts will kickstart their preparations for this year's men's Junior Asian Cup in Malaysia and next year's FIH Junior World Cup with a preparatory camp at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here, starting June 8.
A total of 48 core probables will be part of the preparatory camp. Fifteen new players have been inducted into the core probables following their impressive outings at the recently-concluded fifth Hockey India National Championships.
After a week, the list will be pruned down to 33 core probables, who will further train under the watchful eyes of chief coach Harendra Singh.
The 33 core probables will then fight for a spot in the national squad that will feature in the 2016 FIH Junior World Cup in New Delhi from December 1-16 and Junior Men Asia Cup 2015 in Malaysia, to be held from November 14 to 22.
The new faces to feature in the camp are midfielder Imran Khan, Vikrajit Singh, Vivek Sagar and Somaiah Kuppanda, who have impressed all and sundry with their performances in the national championships.
Commenting on the new inclusions in the camp, Hockey India's High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans said: "The young boys showed talent and capability of playing under tough competition during the recently-culminated National Championships. We kept a close eye on each of the player and monitored their development. We picked the best among them who have the skills to participate at an international level competition.
"The preparatory camp will be another opportunity for these young players."
List of 48 junior core probables:
Goalkeepers: Pankaj Kumar Rajak, Suraj Karkera, Jugraj Singh, Subodh Tirkey, Vikas Dahiya, Karan Thakur, Yash Kumar, Krishan B Pathak, Syed Naseenuddin Shahbaz.
Defenders: Abhishek Pratap Singh, Anand Lakra, Dipsan Tirkey, Gurinder Singh, Harmanpreet Singh, Jarmanpreet Singh, Nilam Sanjeep Xess, Varun Kumar.
Midfielders: Vikrajit Singh, Abhay Ekka, Ajay Yadav, Baljeet Singh Boparai, Imran Khan, Manpreet, Nilakanta Sharma, Prakash Barla, Rajat Sharma, Santa Singh, Simranjeet Singh, Sumit, Harjeet Singh, Vivek Sagar, Somaiah Kuppanda.
Forwards: Gurjant Singh, Pawan Kumar, Sumit Kumar, Sumit Toppo, Raushan Kumar Paswan, Jamma Majhi, Ajit Kumar Pandey, Armaan Qureshi, Mohd Nizamuddin, Parvinder Singh, Rajant, Dharamvir Yadav, Raju Pal, Ajmer Singh, Nitesh Kiro, Ajit Pandit.
