Bengaluru: The Indian Junior Men's Hockey team left for Berlin, Germany on Wednesday morning to take part in the upcoming 4 Nations Tournament that is scheduled from June 21 to 25. 

Led by captain Araijeet Singh Hundal, the team will play its first pool stage match against host Germany on June 21, followed by matches against Australia on June 22 and Spain on June 24.

The top two teams in the pool stage will then compete for the top spot, while the bottom two teams will play for third and fourth rankings on June 25. All matches will be held at TC 1899 Blau Weiß, Berlin.

Before their departure, Indian Junior Men's Team Captain Araijeet Singh Hundal said, "This tournament is crucial for us ahead of the FIH Junior World Cup 2025. With just a few months to go, it's the perfect opportunity for us to assess our strengths, try out new combinations, and identify areas for improvement. We'll be facing some of the best hockey teams, which will allow us to test our strength and try different strategies."

Vice-captain Amir Ali added, "We want to fill any gaps we might have before the World Cup in November. The 4 Nations Tournament will be perfect testing ground not only for the team, but for individual players as we will be able assess our strength and weakness and improve upon it accordingly."

The FIH Junior Men’s Hockey World Cup 2025 will take place in Chennai and Madurai from 28th November 28 to December 10 this year. With less than six months left for the global hockey event, the 4 Nations Tournament will serve as a vital preparatory platform for the Indian colts.

So far India have won two gold and one silver medals in 14 editions of the FIH Junior Men's Hockey World Cup. The country's first medal came in 1997 at Milton Keynes in England when the team lost 3-2 to Australia in the final and settled for a silver. Four years later in Hobart, Australia, India won the Junior World Cup for the first time. In the last two editions of the event in 2021 and 2023, India finished fourth. (IANS)