Former India’s men’s senior hockey team goalkeeper and captain PR Sreejesh who is currently serving as coach of the men’s junior hockey team, says the team will go a step further in the 13th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup, which gets off tomorrow (Aug 11) at the Johor Hockey Stadium.
The Blue Shirts arrived in Johor Bahru with a well-prepared squad and a mix of experienced and young players.
The three-time champions are eager to once again step on the podium, but only this time with a better performance after claiming the bronze medal in the last edition.
India will begin its campaign against Great Britain on 11 October, followed by a match against New Zealand (12 Oct). They will then face arch-rivals Pakistan (Oct 14th), Australia (15th Oct), and hosts Malaysia on 17th October in their final round-robin fixture. The top two teams will qualify for the Final, scheduled for 18th October.
“We finished third last year and were disappointed we could not qualify for the final. This time, the team had a good tour of Europe to prepare for the World Cup,” said Sreejesh after a friendly match against New Zealand, adding that their performance in the SOJC will give him an indication of their strength and preparations for the upcoming World Cup.
India will host the FIH 2025 Men’s Junior World Cup at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium in Chennai and Madurai in Tamil Nadu from 28 November to 10 December 2025.
“The 2025 SOJC is seen as a mini–World Cup rehearsal, with many teams preparing for the main event. They are using this opportunity to get good matches, prepare for the Junior World Cup, experiment with new things and learn. They believe in giving more importance to youngsters, and the Under-21 programme is considered a future investment,” he added.
Sreejesh’s stellar career, which spanned 18 years and saw him represent India in 336 international matches, came to a close after the Paris Olympics 2024. In his final appearance at the Olympics, Sreejesh’s exceptional goalkeeping helped India secure a Bronze, adding to the historic bronze medal won in Tokyo 2020.
He stressed that most of the players from last year’s SOJC tournament are back in the team, with only a few changes and a couple of youngsters joining. The senior players are mostly from last year’s squad.
He congratulated Hockey India for doing a great job in nurturing youngsters for future development.
“Hockey India allowed us to take 24 players to Europe, providing opportunities to try new players, experiment with combinations, and play in various places. The team embarked on a European tour as part of our preparation for the World Cup.
“We are using every opportunity in our way to gain match experience, prepare for the Junior World Cup, and experiment with new strategies and players. A key focus is on nurturing young talent, with the Under-21 program being considered a significant future investment,” he said.
On his opinion on the Malaysian Young Tigers challenges, Sreejesh acknowledged that Malaysia has a lot of potential, with great and skilful players.
“However, they often lack “spirit” or miss opportunities to finish games. We always enjoy playing against the host team, especially on their home ground, where the crowd support is described as “great,” to the point that their own players have joked about asking the Malaysian fans to sit further away because they can’t hear anything.
Meanwhile, team captain Rohit said, “We are really looking forward to competing at the Sultan of Johor Cup. This tournament is always special because it brings together some of the strongest junior teams from around the world, and performing here is a matter of pride for us.
“Last year, we returned with the bronze medal, but this time our aim is to better that performance and fight for a place in the final. The atmosphere in the team is positive, and everyone is motivated to give their best for the country.”
