KUALA LUMPUR – National hockey player Naaveennash Panicker is on a mission to prove national head coach Sarjit Singh wrong for leaving him out of the senior squad, aiming to make his mark with a standout performance in this year’s Sultan of Johor Cup (SOJC).
The 18-year-old forward from Brickfields was selected by national junior head coach I. Vikneswaran for the 20-man squad competing in the SOJC, which kicked off yesterday and runs until October 26.
Naaveennash, who has regularly trained with Sarjit’s squad and was selected for tournaments such as the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup and the Nations Cup, has yet to make his senior national team debut.
Speaking to Scoop, Naaveennash shared that he has been putting in extra effort during his SOJC training sessions, determined to be the junior team’s top performer and catch Sarjit’s attention for a potential senior team call-up.
“It hasn’t been easy these past few months with the senior team. I’ve done everything I can, but I’m still waiting for my breakthrough. Many in my position might have given up, but I see it as a challenge to keep focusing and improving.
“I’m still young, and my time with the senior team will come. But before that, I need to make the most of every opportunity. Since joining the junior squad, my focus has been to prove Sarjit wrong and show him what I’m capable of.
“I’m going to make full use of coach Vikneswaran’s trust by giving 100% for the junior team, whether it’s scoring goals or contributing in other ways like making runs and assists as many goals as possible.
“While I aim for more game time with the junior team, I also want to help us excel in the Junior Asia Cup and qualify for the Junior World Cup,” said Naaveennash when contacted.
Aside from Malaysia, teams from India, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and Great Britain will be competing in the 12th edition of the SOJC.
Malaysia kicked off their SOJC campaign yesterday by taking on New Zealand at the Taman Daya Hockey Stadium in Johor Bahru but lost 3-2.
Malaysia finished seventh out of eight teams in last year’s SOJC. — October 20, 2024