New Delhi: Hockey India has announced the names of 48 players for the senior women’s national camp, which is slated to begin on June 26 at the Sports Authority of India, Bengaluru.
The announcement holds significance in the light of the upcoming Hockey World Cup, where India will be facing England in their opening game.
The Indian Women’s Hockey team recently returned from their Spain Tour, where they played five matches against the host nation.
The World No. 10 registered two victories, beating the World No. 11 Spanish team 3-2 in the third match and 4-1 in the fifth match, while drawing the second match 1-1.
Chief Coach Sjoerd Marijne opined that the team has raised their level in recent times and will have the chance to fine-tune their fitness when they regroup for the training camp in Bengaluru.
“Our team’s performance during the Spain Tour showed that we are raising our levels at the right time and that the players are adjusting well to the way we intend to play. In the upcoming three weeks we will be focusing on fine-tuning our fitness levels and maintaining speed in our play throughout the 60 minutes,” said Marijne.
“I believe that the players showed a good mentality throughout the five matches in Spain and experienced what we need to do to play at a high level against a tactically strong opposition. We will now take the last step in working on our fitness and speed which will prepare us perfectly for the first match against the host nation England at the Vitality Hockey Women’s World Cup London 2018,” he added.
Indian Squad is as follows:
Goalkeepers- Savita, Rajani Etimarpu, Swati, Chanchal, Sonal Minj and Jaspreet Kaur.
Defenders- Deep Grace Ekka, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Gurjit Kaur, Rashmita Minz, Suman Devi Thoudam, Deepika, Neelu Dadiya, Mahima Choudhary, Kanika Raj, Manmeet Kaur, S.P. Kruthika and Nisha.
Midfielders- Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Lilima Minz, Namita Toppo, Neha Goyal, Udita, Manpreet Kaur, Jyoti, Ramwala Maitri, Anuja Singh, Anajali HR, Shyama Tidgam, Sonika, Puja Yadav and Karishma Yadav.
Forwards- Rani, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Navjot Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Vandana Katariya, Anupa Barla, Priyanka Wankhede, Preeti Dubey, Reena Khokhar, Siddhi Singh, Leelavathy Mallamada, Soundarya Yendela and Birajani Ekka. (ANI)