Hockey India on Monday named a 22-member women's side that will represent the country in the upcoming FIH Women's Hockey Pro League matches at home in Bhubaneswar, Odisha against Spain.
The matches will be held over the weekend on February 26 and 27, 2022. The team will be led by ace goalkeeper Savita and vice-captained by Deep Grace Ekka. The Indian team will see a new face in promising young forward Sangita Kumari from Jharkhand who has made her impression during her stint with the Junior India side. The 22-member squad for the double-header against Spain includes Savita, Bichu Devi Kharibam and Raj Etimarpu. Defenders Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary while the midfielders selected are Nisha, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Jyoti, Monika, Neha, Navjot Kaur and Namita Toppo. The forward line will see experienced 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. Talking about the team selection, Janneke Schopman, the Chief Coach of the Indian Women's Hockey Team said, "We are excited to kick off our home Pro League games vs Spain. We had two good training weeks after our return from Oman and I believe the selected 22 players will be ready to show what they can 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 inputs from ANI )
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