Hockey India names 25 players for senior women national camp

Hockey India on Saturday released a 25-member core probables list for the upcoming senior women national camp at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru Campus.

The players will report to chief coach Sjoerd Marijne for the 17-day preparation camp for their upcoming tour of New Zealand which is scheduled to take place later this month.

After a successful 2019, in which the Indian women's team succeeded in their ambition of qualifying for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, the team is scheduled to begin the new year with a tour of New Zealand where they will be playing four matches against the world number six side, along with one match against Great Britain.

In 2019, India showcased outstanding performances across tournaments as they won the FIH Women's Series Finals Hiroshima 2019, Tokyo 2020 Olympic Test Event in Japan, and the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers Odisha, along with victories in their tours of Spain, Malaysia, Republic of Korea and England.

Apart from working on key areas such as fitness, ball-handling, structure, and strategies, the upcoming coaching camp will see a rejuvenated world number nine Indian team prepare for their matches against New Zealand and Great Britain, a tour which will help the side in preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Speaking ahead of the National Coaching Camp, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said, "We are all looking forward to an exciting 2020 and all the challenges that will come in the year. We start the National Coaching Camp with 25 players who have been selected to compete for the final 16 spots in the Olympic team. Because the group is smaller now, we can raise the quality of training even more in the upcoming 17 days before we head to New Zealand to play four matches against the hosts and one match against Great Britain."

The core probables group includes goalkeepers Savita, Raj Etimarpu, Bichu Devi Kharibam, defenders Deep Grace Ekka, Reena Khokhar, Salima Tete, Manpreet Kaur, Gurjit Kaur, and Nisha.

Among midfielders, Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Sonika and Namita Toppo have received a call up.

Forwards R, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Jyoti, Sharmila Devi, and Udita have also made it to the national camp.

( With inputs from ANI )