The senior Indian men’s hockey team chief coach Graham Reid on Thursday said the junior side should play some practice matches against quality opponents before it starts the defence of its FIH Junior World Cup title in Bhubaneswar next month.

Emphasising on the importance of playing practice games, Reid, who is overseeing India’s preparation for the event to be held from November 25 to December 5, said he is trying to arrange a few matches against some participating European nations. “What is important for us is to get some good practice matches in Bhubaneswar so the players get a feel of the pitch and I am talking to coaches of some European teams to see if we can play friendlies with them when they arrive in Bhubaneswar.”