'We're determined to win bronze after missing final': Captain Amir Ali

Upon arriving at Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru after their bronze medal-winning campaign at the Sultan of Johor Cup in Malaysia, the Indian junior men's team captain Amir Ali said they are disappointed to miss out on the chance of playing in the final.

The India Colts lost a chance to play in the final after they played out a draw against New Zealand in the final round-robin league match. With Australia and Great Britain also winning their matches, India, who remained on top of the table throughout the tournament, slipped to the third spot on the standings.

In the bronze medal playoff, India defeated New Zealand to ensure they did not return home empty-handed.

"We were very disappointed after missing out on the final due to goal difference. But as a team, we decided, there was no point looking back at what we could have done better. We decided to focus on the bronze medal match and told ourselves that we cannot go back home empty handed," said Amir.

India defeated Japan (4-2), Great Britain (6-4) and Malaysia (4-2). However, it was the 0-4 loss against Australia, who went on to win the tournament, that cost India dearly. It was by a mere one-goal difference that Great Britain made the final ahead of India.

'Sree bhai is the best mentor' 

However, the team's fighting spirit, ignited by their new coach, legendary PR Sreejesh, helped them face tense situations.

"At least 12 players in the team were playing a big tournament for the first time. They had earlier played the Test series but they were new to a tournament set up. Sree bhai (Sreejesh) is the best mentor we could have had. He constantly spoke to us about enjoying the matches we played without taking any pressure. This was largely why we would bounce back even after conceding goals and ended up winning those matches too," explained Ali, who was part of the Indian team that lifted the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2022.

"He would talk to us about going step-by-step in the match and even during half-time breaks, when we would be behind in scoreline, he would tell us how we can go about without being under pressure. It was only that match against Australia where we lost by a huge goal margin that cost us dearly. Now, the team understands the nature of the round-robin league and how every goal matters," he added.

Back to the business at the SAI centre in Bengaluru, the team has set their focus on lifting the Men's Junior Asia Cup title. The marquee tournament, which is also a qualifying tournament for the FIH Junior World Cup, begins on 26 November in Muscat, Oman.

"We are back in camp and have begun our preparations for the Junior Asia Cup. The next few months are crucial for us as we prepare for the Junior World Cup on home soil," said Amir.

He also said the privilege to share the campus with the Indian senior men's team helped them.

"Being in the same campus as the Senior team helps us a lot. Even for me personally, the experience I gained playing with the senior team has helped in guiding the newcomers in the Junior side. I have learnt a lot from Harmanpreet Singh and Manpreet," he said.

On a lighter note, when asked what the team prefers to call their coach Sreejesh, whether it is 'Sir or Bhai', Amir laughed and said, "We all actually asked him if we must call him 'Sir' now that he is our coach. He asked us to choose what we are comfortable with, and we have decided to go with - Sree Bhai."