Bengaluru

India 'A' men's hockey team captain Sanjay feels the upcoming Europe tour will be a testing ground for the players and will help in creating good bench strength for the senior side.

India 'A' men's team left for Eindhoven, Netherlands on Saturday morning for the tour, scheduled from July 8 to 20.

"This tour will be a good testing ground for us to know our strengths and weaknesses. We have a good mix of seasoned players and young players, and the tour will provide us with strong competition to assess where they stand," Sanjay said in a release.

"This kind of international exposure will also help us strengthen our main team in the future and create a good bench strength in the long run."

Moirangthem Rabichandra Singh will be Sanjay's deputy. India 'A' will play eight matches in total across three cities in Europe.

While India 'A' will play two matches each against Ireland, France, and the Netherlands in Eindhoven, they will play one match each against England and Belgium in Amstelveen (Netherlands), and Antwerpen (Belgium) respectively.

These matches are expected to test the depth and readiness of players as the national setup looks to build a stronger talent pool for the Indian senior team.

"The tour will help the team understand the different dynamics and intensity of playing against top European teams in Europe. This exposure will also help some of the younger players experience hockey at a much different pace than they are used to in India," vice-captain Moirangthem said.

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"We hope this exposure will help us and the next generation of players improve in the long run."