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Ace goalkeeper Savita Punia will lead the 18-member Indian women's hockey team for the FIH Women's Hockey World Cup.
Defender Deep Grace Ekka has been named the vice-captain. The team will miss the services of Rani Rampal, who is recuperating from an injury.
The Women's World Cup will be held in the Netherlands and Spain from July 1 to 17.
India have been placed in Pool B along with England, New Zealand and China. The Savita Punia-led team will begin their campaign on July 3 against England. Incidentally, India lost to England in the bronze medal play-off match at the Tokyo Olympics.
In the previous edition of the World Cup in London, India were ousted in the quarter-finals 1-3 by Ireland in a shootout. The teams played out a goalless draw in regulation time.
We have chosen the best squad for the World Cup: Chief coach Janneke Schopman
The Indian women's team chief coach Janneke Schopman said the Indian team has a good mix of experience and young talent. The coach went on to add that this is the best squad for the quadrennial event. She said:
"We have chosen the best squad for the World Cup. It is a mix of experienced and young talent who have shown great promise when they were given a chance against top teams in the FIH Pro League."
Schopman also shed light on Rani's exclusion from the team and said the team has the right mix of players. She added:
"Except Rani, who is still not fully recovered from injury rehabilitation, the team has all the players who were part of the Olympic campaign with inclusions like Jyoti and Sonika who have done well in their roles when given a chance. We will also have Sangita and Akshata who will travel with the team as replacement players."
Also read: Hockey: Technical officer Sonia Bathla looking forward to Commonwealth Games
The coach said the next few days will be utilized to fine-tune game plans and strategies and get ready for the showpiece event. She explained:
"The team is absolutely excited and eager to begin their World Cup campaign and we will utilize the next ten days to fine-tune our game-based analysis from Pro League performances."
The Indian team will play their group stage matches in Amstelveen and if they top the group, they will play the quarter-finals too in the same municipality.
The team will then move to Terrassa, Spain, for the semi-finals and the final. The crossover matches for pool B will be played in Spain.
Also read: Manpreet Singh to lead 18-member Indian men's hockey team in 2022 Commonwealth Games
Indian team for FIH Women's World Cup
The following 18 players have been selected for the Indian team for the upcoming FIH Women's World Cup.
Goalkeepers: Savita Punia, (captain) and Bichu Devi Kharibam.
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (vice-captain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, and Udita.
Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika Malik, Neha Goyal, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur, Sonika, and Salima Tete
Forwards: Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, and Sharmila Devi.
Replacement players: Akshata Abaso Dhekale and Sangita Kumari.
