On Monday, Hockey India announced the 22-member women's squad for the upcoming FIH Pro League home matches in Bhubaneswar, Odisha against Spain. The matches are set to be held over the weekend on 26th and 27th February 2022. The Indian Hockey Team will be led by ace goalkeeper Savita Punia alongside Deep Grace Ekka as deputy, while regular captain Rani Rampal recovers from injury.
The team also includes a fresh face, in promising young forward Sangita Kumari from Jharkhand, who has made quite an impression during her stint with the Junior India side.
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The 22-member squad for the double-header against Spain includes Savita Punia, Bichu Devi Kharibam and Rajani Etimarpu. Defenders Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary with selected midfielders Nisha, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Jyoti, Monika, Neha, Navjot Kaur and Namita Toppo, are also a part of the team.
The forward-line will see seasoned players like Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari and Rajwinder Kaur. Additionally, Rashmita Minz, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Sonika, Mariana Kujur and Aishwarya Rajesh Chauvan have been named as standbys for the double-header.
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While talking about the team selection, head coach Janneke Schopman said, “We are excited to kick off our home pro league games vs Spain. We had two good weeks of training after our return from Oman and I believe the selected 22 players will be ready to show what they can do against Spain. When you have a strong pool of players, team selection always becomes difficult but I am happy to see that the new players are improving a lot and showing a lot of promise.”
She further added, “Spain is a strong opponent, they have consistently performed at a high level only narrowly missing out on the semi-finals in Tokyo and clinching the bronze medal in the last World Cup. They are very skilful and play from a tight defence, so we are looking to use our own speed and skills and strong defence to compete well against them.”
-With agency inputs
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