Bengaluru, July 5 (IANS) The India ‘A’ men’s hockey team left for Eindhoven, Netherlands on Saturday morning for the Tour of Europe, scheduled from July 8 to 20.

Led by captain Sanjay and vice-captain Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh, India ‘A’ will play eight matches in total across three cities in Europe. While India ‘A’ will play two matches each against Ireland, France, and the Netherlands in Eindhoven (Netherlands), they will play one match each against England and Belgium in Amstelveen (Netherlands) and Antwerpen (Belgium) respectively.

These matches are expected to test the depth and readiness of players as the national setup looks to build a stronger talent pool for the Indian senior team. The India ‘A’ captain, Sanjay, said, “This tour will be a good testing ground for us to know our strengths and weaknesses. We have a good mix of seasoned players and young players, and the tour will provide us with strong competition to assess where they stand. This kind of international exposure will also help us strengthen our main team in the future and create good bench strength in the long run.”

Vice-captain Moirangthem added, “The tour will help the team understand the different dynamics and intensity of playing against top European teams in Europe. This exposure will also help some of the younger players experience hockey at a much different pace than they are used to in India. We hope this exposure will help us and the next generation of players improve in the long run.”

With this tour, Hockey India aims to bolster the talent pool for the Indian men’s national team and provide international match time to the next generation of Indian hockey stars. The first match between India ‘A’ and Ireland will take place on July 8 at 21:30 IST.

–IANS

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