Exclusive | Pity that Tamil Nadu Players Did Not Make It To Junior Men's Hockey Team This Time: V Baskaran - video Dailymotion

ETVBHARAT

The 14th Men's Junior Hockey World Cup will be held in Tamil Nadu from November 28, 2025, to December 10, 2025

Transcript

00:00This is the 14th edition of the Junior Men's World Cup and it will be held in Chennai and Madurai

00:05from 28th of November to 10th of November, sorry December.

00:11And the history of the Junior Men's World Cup started way back in 1979

00:15and it started in France first.

00:19The very first type of pattern they played was once in four years.

00:25After 2001, they made it once in two years.

00:28So that's why it has become 14th edition now.

00:32And another big change is that previously it was 8 teams and 12 teams

00:37and Asian qualifiers and then the Pacific qualifiers, everything was there.

00:42Now, this time, because the Latin American country and the other smaller countries

00:47who are well-versed with hockey not getting chance because they're getting knocked out from the 16th team.

00:53So the FIH governing authority, the world body, has planned to promote hockey at junior level

00:58it's a very good thing happening for me because Latin American, only Argentina was playing before.

01:04Now Chile is playing.

01:05Brazil is playing.

01:06So all this thing, all the teams will be coming down here.

01:09Not Brazil, Chile will be coming.

01:11Same like, you know, other European countries get a chance to play.

01:15African countries.

01:16So that means this World Cup is something very special.

01:19Twenty-four teams will take part.

01:23Three-fourth league stage will be played in Madurai.

01:26A new turf has come up there.

01:27A new stadium has come up.

01:29And the other quarterfinals or one or two league games will be played in Chennai,

01:35EGMO Stadium, Mayor Radhakri Stadium.

01:36So I would appreciate the Tamil Nadu government in this department because,

01:41first of all, the appreciation to go to CM, who has been a very strong supporter of sports

01:46because right from the chess he's organized, it has been a sports, you know, venture for them.

01:51And also Udaini Jisalini, the sports minister, has been very, very, you know,

01:55working very hard to sports develop the thing.

01:58And since he's young, youth, so he trusts a lot of things to happen.

02:02And next is the Hockey India.

02:05They're bringing the team, the 24 teams to Chennai.

02:08And also the Terminali Sport Department, SDAT and Hockey Terminali.

02:12They all have worked very hard for the last six months.

02:15And to develop this hockey, junior may not only to contract tournaments.

02:19This is one thing where I always feel if you invest in the youth, you can become world champion.

02:26If you are not investing in youth, say, for example, you know, chess.

02:30World chess was happening, you know, in Mahabhulipuram.

02:33This is a world where nobody has conducted like that.

02:35Now, Terminali has got how many grandmasters.

02:38So I think these are the things where we learn from the organizing point of it.

02:42And the people, the parents who come and watch will definitely benefit of this

02:47because Madurai is a very, you know, wonderful place for hockey.

02:51Because the close by is Trichy, the close by is, you know, Virdhanagar,

02:55close by is Sivakasi, Rajapalayam, you know, all this is hockey built.

03:00There are at least 10 tournaments conducted every year there.

03:03So at least only thing, the stadium is only, I think, 5,000 or 6,000.

03:09But hopefully, you know, they accommodate everybody who wants to come there

03:12because there are going to be another 25, 30 games there.

03:15And you see all the teams there.

03:18First league, Argentina, all the...

03:20Otherwise, Madurai has only seen India-Netherlands match, which I played.

03:25So that's very important that the people of down south watch the game

03:31and learn what is from the coach's idea, what is from the training part of it.

03:36So I think these are things where people also who are governing or who are coaching the junior boys

03:42not only watch the game, see other coaches work out what they're doing.

03:46You know, that's very important.

03:47So that's how the government is spending more than 100 goals here.

03:50And I only, you know, feel that India definitely should play the finals

03:55because last time they missed it in quarterfinals in 2023 at Boneshwar.

03:59But this team is good.

04:01And hopefully, you know, we see good hockey from November to December at least for 13-14 days.

04:07Sir, please tell me about the venue, sir.

04:09Particularly the Madurai venue.

04:11What are the improtect structures of Devlux?

04:13No, the Madurai had a turf, green turf, which is very old.

04:16It was called Ostroturf.

04:17And now once the Madurai was identified from the day one,

04:22CM and the sports minister had inspected there

04:25and SDAT, Atulia Mishra and Mr. Reddy had gone there personally

04:29and with all the supporting staff, I think they have done a wonderful job.

04:33And I suppose the ground is quite ready and the blue turf.

04:36And it is definitely going to be a good, you know, nurturing place for Madurai belts

04:40because there are only one in Kowilpati, which is an austral one.

04:43So Madurai, if it comes, it's going to be a very good one.

04:46So the Madurai schools, there are a lot of schools play hockey, a lot of clubs play hockey,

04:49a lot of tournaments have been in Madurai.

04:51So I think this, apart from World Cup, the turf will be better used for the tournaments,

04:56for the schools, training camps, for both boys and girls, which is important.

05:00So I think this World Cup definitely has opened eye for Madurai.

05:04If Pakistan hockey team does not play in this tournament, what watch will you see?

05:11Now my point, as an hockey lover, Pakistan should have played here.

05:15But due to political, you know, pressure or due to the secondary reason,

05:20that's what Pakistan has told that we are not playing.

05:22Because having watched them in the Jorubov tournament last month,

05:25they drive with India, three all, and they drive with Australia, two big teams.

05:30That means Pakistan juniors have come up.

05:32So if they would have come, and you know, Pakistan was pulled in along with India in the pool B,

05:38and the match was supposed to be held in Chennai.

05:40So it could have been a best crowd in the World Cup, not even in the finals.

05:45In my opinion, Egmore has been always a, you know, eye pressure match when Pakistan played.

05:50Last time I coached the Indian team was there, in 95, 96, then 97, 98, it was a sellout crowd.

05:57So about 15,000, 14,000 people came and watched, and 10,000 did not watch the game,

06:02and they went out without coming into the ground, because there was no space.

06:05So I think Pakistan will be missed dearly by the hockey lovers.

06:08I am not, you know, really knowing what exactly, you know, on the sports field of the Indian rule,

06:16but India has given the visa, India has ready to watch them,

06:21but Pakistan, you know, backed up because of only one season, second season.

06:25But that's quite bad for them, because the team juniors are very, very well,

06:29and now they are there to qualify for the senior World Cup also.

06:32So, but we miss them.

06:34I mean, as an hockey player, as an hockey lover, I know Pakistan has got a rich tradition,

06:38and it could have been a very good match for India, Pakistan.

06:41Okay.

Exclusive | Pity that Tamil Nadu Players Did Not Make It To Junior Men's Hockey Team This Time: V Baskaran

Category

Transcript

Be the first to comment

Recommended