Bengaluru, Apr 9:
Hockey India, on Monday, announced the 33-member Indian women’s hockey team that will continue to train in SAI Bangalore till May 16. The 60-member assessment squad that reported to camp on Apri 1 has been spruced up after selection trials that were held on April 6 and 7.
The present squad will be incontention to form the team that will feature in future coaching campsand international exposure tours. The Indian Women’s Hockey Team is alsoset to travel to Antwerp and London to face Argentina, Belgium,Germany, and Great Britain in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24 laterthis year.
The shortlisted squad includes goalkeepers Savita,Bichu Devi Kharibam, Bansari Solanki, and Madhuri Kindo. The defenders picked for the core group are Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary,Monika, Ropni Kumari, Mahima Chaudhary, Jyoti Chhatri, and Preeti.
The midfielders selected are Salima Tete, Marina Lalramnghaki, VaishnaviVitthal Phalke, Neha, Jyoti, Edula Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur, Manisha Chauhan,Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Ajmina Kujur, Nisha.
While the forwards featuredin the group are Mumtaz Khan, Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika,Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur, Deepika Soreng, Preeti Dubey, VandanaKatariya and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal.
The 22-year-old Marina Lalramnghaki, who represented Hockey Mizoram, and 25-year-old Manisha Chauhan, who represented Manipur Hockey, in the just concluded 14th Hockey India senior women’s national championship have also been includedin the squad.
Notably, Preeti Dubey, who made her last appearance forthe Indian Women’s Hockey Team in the Hockey World League Semi Final in2017 has clawed her way back into the National setup after impressingthe selectors and coaches in the assessment camp.
Meanwhile, goalkeeper Madhuri Kindo, defenders Ropni Kumari and Preeti, midfielder Edula Jyoti, and forwards Deepika Soreng and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal hav emade the step up from the junior team that featured in the FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup 2023.
Hockey India high performance director Herman Kruis expressed his expectations from the new core group saying, “The 14th Hockey India senior women’s national Cchampionship was used to filter out the best hockey playersfrom across the country and over the last week the coaches and selectorshave further handpicked the 33 players they believe have the potentialto propel the Indian Women’s Hockey Team to greater heights. We now havea promising squad that will feature in the upcoming international tours and FIH Hockey Pro League 2023/24.”
