Eswaran and Syakir impress coach in Dalian
KUALA LUMPUR: Forward Eswaran George and defender Nor Syakir Saini impressed coach Nor Saiful Zaini during the national junior hockey team's recent playing tour to Dalian City, China.
The team, preparing for the Junior World Cup (JWC) in India from Nov 28-Dec 10, played six friendlies with the Liaoning Province team coached by former South Korean coach Kim Sang Ryul.
Thirty-two national juniors have been training under Saiful since last month.
Saiful said that Eswaran and Syakir captured his heart with their performances in the friendly matches.
"The duo have shown maturity in their game and they deserve to be in the Junior World Cup squad," said Saiful.
Eswaran made his Malaysia debut in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2023. Syakir has received his first national call-up.
Saiful said he took 24 juniors to Dalian City, but only half of the team showed the ability to play matches while the others were inexperienced.
Saiful's team will compete in the Murugappa Gold Cup in Chennai, India, from July 10-20.
"We will be playing against clubs in the tournament. The players need as much exposure as they can to prepare for the JWC."
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KUALA LUMPUR: Forward Eswaran George and defender Nor Syakir Saini impressed coach Nor Saiful Zaini during the national junior hockey team's recent playing tour to Dalian City, China. The team, preparing for the Junior World Cup (JWC) in India from Nov 28-Dec 10, played six friendlies with the Liaoning Province team coached by former South Korean coach Kim Sang Ryul. Thirty-two national juniors have been training under Saiful since last month. Saiful said that Eswaran and Syakir captured his heart with their performances in the friendly matches. "The duo have shown maturity in their game and they deserve to be in the Junior World Cup squad," said Saiful. Eswaran made his Malaysia debut in the Sultan of Johor Cup in 2023. Syakir has received his first national call-up. Saiful said he took 24 juniors to Dalian City, but only half of the team showed the ability to play matches while the others were inexperienced. Saiful's team will compete in the Murugappa Gold Cup in Chennai, India, from July 10-20. "We will be playing against clubs in the tournament. The players need as much exposure as they can to prepare for the JWC."
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