Indian Mens Hockey Team Announced for Under-18 Asia Cup, Ketan Kushwaha Named Captain

Bhopal, May 21: Hockey India has announced an 18-member squad for the upcoming Men’s Under-18 Asia Cup, set to take place in Kakami-gahara, Japan, from May 29 to June 6. Ketan Kushwaha has been appointed as the captain for this tournament.

The selection of the team followed a rigorous national coaching camp at the Sardar Singh and Rajneesh Mishra coaching staff at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) in Bhopal. India has been placed in Pool A alongside South Korea, host nation Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Kazakhstan.

The Indian team will kick off its pool stage campaign against Kazakhstan on May 29. They will then face the host team Japan on May 31, followed by a match against South Korea on June 1, and conclude the group stage with a game against Chinese Taipei on June 3.

After this challenging group stage, the top two teams from Pools A and B will advance directly to the semifinals on June 5. The tournament final is scheduled for June 6. The team’s preparations included a high-profile four-match series against the Australia Under-18 team as part of an exposure tour. Forward Ketan Kushwaha will lead the Asia Cup team as they aim to compete against Asia’s top youth teams.

In their preparation, the Indian team won one match against Australia Under-18, lost one, and drew two. Commenting on the final squad for the tournament, coach Sardar Singh stated, “The selection process was highly competitive, but we have chosen 18 players that provide us with the right technical balance. Our training in Bhopal and exposure matches against top teams like Australia have given these players a good understanding of international pressure and match tempo.”

He added, “We have worked hard on our technical discipline, penalty corner routines, and structure over the past few weeks. The players are very enthusiastic; our clear goal before heading into a major tournament like the Asia Cup is to implement our plans effectively, aim for the top of our group, and position ourselves to bring the trophy home.”

Indian Men’s Squad for Under-18 Asia Cup
Goalkeepers: Savan Kumar, Ayush Rajak
Defenders: Ansh Bahuta, Arman Soreng, Ashish Tani Purti, Arshdeep Singh, Avi Manikpuri, Romit Pal
Midfielders: Rahul Yadav, Premchand Soy, Varinder Singh, Karan Gautam, Siddharth Ben
Forwards: Ketan Kushwaha (Captain), Akash Deep, Ghazi Khan, Shahrukh Ali, Prahlad Rajbhar