India and Australia favourites for Sultan of Johor Cup

KUALA LUMPUR: World junior champions India and defending champions Australia will be the favourites in the eighth edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup as they each chase a unique treble of titles.

The six-nation Under-21 invitational tournament, which begins today at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium will showcase skills of some of the top juniors in the world.

The other teams in the fray are Japan, New Zealand, former champions Britain and Malaysia.

India were finalists on four occasions from 2012 to 2015, winning it in 2013 and 2014.

Australia on the other hand won their titles in 2016 and 2017. They also made the final in the inaugural year in 2011 but lost to Malaysia.

This year, a younger set of players are expected to be fielded by teams as they look towards the Junior World Cup qualifiers over the next two years.

Some of the teams have also lost key players to the Youth Olympics challenge in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from Oct 6-18.

National junior chief coach Nor Saiful Zaini Nasiruddin said they are looking forward to a top four finish this year. They were fourth last year as well.

“It is going to be a tough week looking at the quality of teams that are here. We played two friendly matches against Australia (lost 1-0) and Britain (drew 0-0) and our problems in the forward line was evident. We need to score to win matches,” said the former international.

“Overall I am happy with the approach and attitude, but I’m afraid their lack of confidence is a factor to be considered.”

Indian coach Jude Felix said losing some of his key players for Youth Olympics may affect the team.

“We lost several players but I believe there is enough depth in the squad to overcome it. We need to be consistent and therein lies the problem. It is never easy for any team to play six matches over eight days and remain consistent,” said Jude.

The Australians can become the first team to win the back-to-back title three times.

Australian coach Chris O Reilly said that they do have an experienced team although their preparations have not been that thorough.

“We have a good blend of players, both young and experienced and we hope to do well. We have eight players that played last year and so much will depend on how they perform.

“Our preparations have not been that great honestly. We only got together as a team on Monday in Johor Baru and have been working hard to put things together,” he said.