ISLAMABAD, Nov 6: Pakistan junior hockey team’s captain Shafqat Rasool is hopeful of putting a strong show against arch-rivals India in the forthcoming five-Test match series starting from Nov 11.

The matches will be played at five venues — Hockey Club of Pakistan, Karachi (Nov 11); Army Hockey Stadium, Rawalpindi (Nov 13); Faisalabad Hockey Stadium (Nov 15), Sialkot Hockey Stadium (Nov 18) and National Hockey Stadium, Lahore (Nov 21).

Shafqat, 21, told Dawn on Thursday that his team members were fully fit and ready for the upcoming home series.

“We are doing good training under coaches Danish Kaleem, Qamar Ibrahim and Salman Akbar,” said the right-in player. Olympian Salman Akbar is the junior squad’s goal-keeping coach.

“The coaches are aware of our strengths as well as weaknesses,” said Shafqat.

The captain informed that they train in two sessions daily. “We work on our physical fitness and techniques in the mornings while the evenings are reserved for match practice.

When asked about the main strengths in the team, he mentioned fullback Kashif.

“Kashif Ali is our penalty corner specialist and he has done a good job with the junior team in many international matches.”

Pakistan lost the 6th Junior Asia Cup semi-final against India 3-1 in Hyderabad Deccan in July this year. When asked to go over their last fixture in the Junior Asia Cup against India, Shafqat asserted: “We lost that match against India due to bad luck. Our shock exit was the result of a fight that broke out during the match”.

The match’s 31st minute witnessed a scuffle among the players following a brawl between Pakistan’s Mohammad Irfan and India’s Chandi.