The tournament is scheduled to be played from November 24 to December 5 at the Kalinga Stadium here in which India will take on the defending champions.
“We didn’t get a chance to play overseas but we did play a few matches against the senior team in Bhubaneswar which were very useful. After coming to Bhubaneshwar, we adjusted to the stadium.
He said, “The Kalinga Stadium is really spectacular. It is good that we are practicing here before the tournament starts.
Defending champions India are placed in Group B along with Canada, France and Poland. All these teams reached here only last week.
The Indian junior team led by Vivek Sagar will look to retain the coveted trophy in front of their home crowd.
Vivek, a member of the team that won the bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics, said, “Our team became champions in 2016 and we aim to perform like that.”
Teams from 16 countries are participating in the competition. The teams are divided into four pools. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the quarter-finals.
European team Belgium will face Malaysia, Chile and South Africa in Pool A. The Netherlands, Spain, Korea and the US have been placed in Pool C while Germany, Pakistan, Egypt and Argentina have been placed in Pool D.
Belgium will take on South Africa in the opening match of the tournament on Wednesday. India will play their first match against France on the same day.
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