Kakamigahara , Guided by senior stalwarts like Sardar Singh and Rani Rampal, India’s Under-18 teams for boys and girls will be aiming to make their recent high-intensity training count when they take the field in the Asia Cup starting here on Friday.
The boys team is being guided by former men’s captain Sardar and Rajnish Mishra, the girls’ team is being helmed by former women’s team captain Rani Rampal.
After weeks of intensive preparation camps and valuable exposure matches against Australia in Bhopal, both teams will hope to make a strong impact at the continental tournament against some of Asia’s finest young talent.
The Indian U-18 boys team, led by forward Ketan Kushwaha, heads into the tournament following a month-long national coaching camp at the Udhav Das Mehta Central Centre at SAI, Bhopal, under the guidance of coaches Sardar Singh and Rajnish Mishra.
As part of their preparations, the side played a four-match series against the visiting Australian U-18 team, registering one win and one loss, while two matches ended in draws.
India have been placed in Pool A alongside hosts Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei and Kazakhstan in the boy’s competition. The Indians will open their campaign against Kazakhstan on May 29 before taking on Japan , Korea and Chinese Taipei .
Pool B comprises Malaysia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and China. The top two teams from each pool will qualify for the semifinals scheduled on June 5, while the final will take place on June 6.
Speaking ahead of the tournament opener, India boys’ team captain Ketan Kushwaha said, “The team is feeling confident and excited ahead of the Asia Cup. The camp in Bhopal and the matches against Australia helped us improve a lot as a unit and understand the areas we need to work on. We know every match in the tournament will be competitive, but the squad is motivated to give its best and make the country proud.”
The Indian U-18 girls’ team, captained by Sweety Kujur, also enters the tournament after a productive national camp in Bhopal under the guidance of Rani.
The girls’ team also played a four-match series against Australia during its preparations and ended the series with a confidence-boosting victory.
Drawn in Pool A, the girls will begin their campaign against Malaysia on May 30, followed by matches against Korea on May 31 and Singapore on June 2. Pool B includes China, Japan, Chinese Taipei and Bangladesh.
The top two teams from each pool will progress to the semifinals on June 5, with the final scheduled for June 6.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
