The event, scheduled from October 11 to 18 in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, will feature some of the best junior teams in the world, with India determined to reclaim the title and build momentum ahead of the Junior World Cup later this year.
Recently-retired cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin and two-time Olympic medallist hockey star PR Sreejesh are among the five sportspersons of a total of 139 eminent personalities chosen for this year’s prestigious Padma Awards.
The 36-year-old PR Sreejesh, who represented India at four editions of the Summer Games, retired from the sport following the bronze medal win in Paris.
Sreejesh was one of the architects of India's historic bronze medal win at the Tokyo 2020 Games. He was instrumental in India’s third-place finish at the FIH Hockey Pro League 2021/22.
While Caram has been assigned Athletes Committee Representative in the Executive Board, Sreejesh will lead the planning and meetings.
While this achievement in itself puts Sreejesh among the world's greatest players, he opined that results are what make one great.
Tom Wickham, previously denied a goal by PR Sreejesh, was able to score on in 33rd minute, followed by a 41st-minute strike by Jeremy.
The Indian team has been drawn in Pool D with England, Spain and Wales in the showpiece event.
The women's hockey team also competed in a fitness challenge and as part of that they tweeted fitness videos to raise funds to help those whose lives have been adversely impacted by the pandemic.
In the absence of the senior players, Harmanpreet Singh and Mandeep Singh have been named the captain and vice-captain, respectively, and two players -- Ashis Topno and Shamsher Singh -- earned their debut spots.
