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Sardar Singh and Rani have praised Hockey India's continued investment in grassroots development and youth exposure as the two legends guide India's next generation of players in their role as coaches of the India U-18 teams.
Sardar and Rani are currently in charge of the India U-18 men's and women's teams, respectively. They are set to face the Australian U-18 teams in a four-match series at SAI Bhopal as part of an exposure tour ahead of the Men's and Women's U-18 Asia Cup 2026, which begins later this month in Kakamigahara, Japan, according to a release. Speaking at a press conference ahead of the U-18 series beginning May 15, both Sardar and Rani expressed their happiness at being part of Hockey India's vision for structured development at the grassroots level. "This is a great initiative by Hockey India at this stage because focusing on our young players at an early age is extremely important. These are the players who will go on to represent India in the future," said Sardar. The India U-18 Men's coach further highlighted how Hockey India has been promoting the sport at every level. "Hockey India is doing a tremendous job at the grassroots level through Sub Junior and Junior National Championships across divisions every year. They have also been distributing kits to players across states. If we continue to improve infrastructure, coaching and support systems like that, Indian hockey will reach new heights," Sardar added. Rani echoed Sardar's sentiments, crediting Hockey India for creating opportunities for young players to gain early international exposure. "I would like to thank Hockey India for these U-18 initiatives for our young players. It has never happened before that players in this age group have had the opportunity to compete against a team like Australia. This is a massive learning experience for them," she stated. Rani also emphasised the importance of helping players adapt to a national team environment at a young age. "The average age of these girls is around 15-16 years. They have a long future ahead of them and can go on to represent India at events like the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2032 and 2036 Olympics. This exposure at an early stage will play a huge role in their development," she added. The India U-18 men's and women's teams will each play four matches against the Australia U-18 teams in Bhopal. The schedule of the matches is as follows: Men's: - India vs Australia - 15th May, 5:00 PM IST (Friday)- India vs Australia - 17th May, 7:00 PM IST (Sunday)- India vs Australia - 18h May, 5:00 PM IST (Monday)- India vs Australia - 20th May, 10:00 AM IST (Wednesday) Women's:- India vs Australia - 15th May, 7:00 PM IST (Friday)- India vs Australia - 17th May, 5:00 PM IST (Sunday)- India vs Australia - 18h May, 7:30 PM IST (Monday)- India vs Australia - 20th May, 8:00 AM IST (Wednesday). (ANI)
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