Indian junior men's hockey team jets off to Germany for 4 Nations Tournament

IANS June 18, 2025 337 views

The Indian junior men's hockey team has departed for Berlin to compete in the 4 Nations Tournament. Led by captain Araijeet Singh Hundal, they will face Germany, Australia, and Spain in crucial warm-up matches. The event serves as vital preparation for the FIH Junior World Cup, set to take place in India later this year. With past successes in the tournament, the team aims to fine-tune their strategies ahead of the global event.

"This tournament is crucial for us ahead of the FIH Junior World Cup 2025." – Araijeet Singh Hundal
Bengaluru, June 18: The Indian Junior Men's Hockey team left for Berlin, Germany on Wednesday morning to take part in the upcoming 4 Nations Tournament that is scheduled from June 21 to 25.

Key Points

1

Team faces Germany, Australia, and Spain in Berlin

2

Serves as key prep for FIH Junior World Cup 2025

3

India aims to refine strategies ahead of Chennai event

4

Past includes two golds in Junior World Cup history

Led by captain Araijeet Singh Hundal, the team will play its first pool stage match against host Germany on June 21, followed by matches against Australia on June 22 and Spain on June 24.

The top two teams in the pool stage will then compete for the top spot, while the bottom two teams will play for third and fourth rankings on June 25. All matches will be held at TC 1899 Blau Weiß, Berlin.

Before their departure, Indian Junior Men's Team Captain Araijeet Singh Hundal said, "This tournament is crucial for us ahead of the FIH Junior World Cup 2025. With just a few months to go, it's the perfect opportunity for us to assess our strengths, try out new combinations, and identify areas for improvement. We'll be facing some of the best hockey teams, which will allow us to test our strength and try different strategies."

Vice-captain Amir Ali added, "We want to fill any gaps we might have before the World Cup in November. The 4 Nations Tournament will be perfect testing ground not only for the team, but for individual players as we will be able assess our strength and weakness and improve upon it accordingly."

The FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2025 will take place in Chennai and Madurai from 28th November 28 to December 10 this year. With less than six months left for the global hockey event, the 4 Nations Tournament will serve as a vital preparatory platform for the Indian colts.

So far India have won two gold and one silver medals in 14 editions of the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup. The country's first medal came in 1997 at Milton Keynes in England when the team lost 3-2 to Australia in the final and settled for a silver. Four years later in Hobart, Australia, India won the Junior World Cup for the first time. In the last two editions of the event in 2021 and 2023, India finished fourth.

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Best of luck to our junior hockey team! 🇮🇳 This tournament is crucial preparation before the World Cup at home. Hope they can bring back that golden touch from 2001! Germany and Australia will be tough opponents but our boys have shown great promise.
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Priya M.
Exciting times for Indian hockey! The fact that we're hosting the Junior World Cup later this year makes this tournament even more important. Hope the team gets good exposure to European and Australian playing styles. Fingers crossed for a podium finish! 🤞
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Arjun S.
The team management should focus on our defense. In the last two World Cups, we conceded too many goals in crucial matches. This tournament against top teams will show if we've improved. Still, proud of our boys for consistently being in top 4!
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Sunita R.
Hockey runs in India's blood! Remember watching the 2001 World Cup win with my family - what a moment that was. Hope these young players can create similar magic. The captain Araijeet seems very focused - good leadership quality.
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Vikram J.
While I'm excited about the tournament, I hope the selectors are watching closely. We need to identify 2-3 players who can be fast-tracked to the senior team. Our junior program has been producing quality players consistently - the pipeline looks good!
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Neha P.
The matches will be at 3:30 PM IST - perfect timing for us fans to watch after work! Hope Star Sports or DD Sports broadcasts it live. Would love to see our future stars in action before the big World Cup in Chennai.

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Tags:
Indian junior hockey 4 Nations Tournament Araijeet Singh Hundal FIH Junior World Cup Germany hockey