Bhubaneswar: In a significant achievement, seven junior cadets of the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (ONTHHPC), have been selected to represent the country in the Junior Indian Men’s Hockey Squad for the Belgium Tour, scheduled from 5–18 July 2026.

Anmol Ekka has been named captain of the Indian team, while fellow ONTHHPC cadets Vivek Lakra, Rohit Kullu, Adrohit Ekka, Sanjit Tirkey, Aryan Xess and Mukesh Toppo have also secured places in the national squad. The players have already left for Belgium to join the team on the tour.

The selection of seven players from a single High Performance Centre underscores ONTHHPC’s growing contribution to Indian hockey. Established through a partnership between the Government of Odisha, Tata Steel and Tata Trusts, the Centre has emerged as one of the country’s leading hockey development academies, providing young athletes with world-class coaching, scientific training methods and a high-performance ecosystem to prepare them for national and international competition.

The Belgium Tour will offer the Junior Indian Men’s team valuable exposure against quality European opposition and serve as an important preparatory assignment ahead of upcoming international tournaments.