KUALA LUMPUR – National junior hockey head coach I. Vikneswaran has made it clear: players must fight for their place, aligning with the senior team’s mentality and philosophy.
Vikneswaran, a former international player, represented the country in the 1993 Junior World Cup in Spain and the senior team in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The 51-year-old is also the Kuala Lumpur Hockey Association president and was the national junior team manager at the Junior World Cup (JWC) in 2021 and 2023.
He was recently appointed as the junior head coach for the Young Tigers, taking over from his predecessor, Amin Rahim, who brought the team to a 12th-place finish in the JWC before the team was disbanded.
Under Vikneswaran’s guidance, a total of 26 Young Tigers flew to Brisbane on July 24 for a six-match hockey-playing tour.
They are playing four matches against the Australian national under-21 team from July 27 to 31 and two matches against the Queensland Hockey Club on August 1 and 5.
The Malaysia Hockey Confederation’s main target for the junior team is to qualify for next year’s JWC in India through the Junior Asia Cup.
Speaking to Scoop, Vikneswaran emphasised the importance of a strong attitude among his players in his coaching setup.
He aims to ensure his young charges do not remain stagnant and transition smoothly into Sarjit Singh’s senior team in the years to come.
“It’s the same module as the senior team as none of the players will be guaranteed their slot in the current team. Though my coaching team and I choose all the players based on their performance in the Malaysia Junior Hockey League, I will not hesitate to drop players if their attitude is not right.
“These players should fight for their place through their performances regularly, and that’s the only way for them to play for the team.
“On top of that, I also want to ensure that these players transition into the senior team in the coming years and not remain stagnant.
“This team has potential, and we want to mould them to get better so that they can succeed. That’s why we are sending them on this Australian tour.
“This tour can be a great cultural exchange programme for them as they will get to learn a lot from foreign players.
“This will also be a great chance for us to one day invite foreign players to come and play in our domestic leagues in the future. Once the players return from Australia, I will probably discuss with MHC to have another tour for the players in Asia,” said Vikneswaran.
Selangor Hockey Association president Ganesh Shanmugam is currently the new team manager of the national junior squad. – July 27, 2024