33-member core probables named for Indian women’s hockey camp

After the three-week camp that concludes on September 22, Indian squad will travel to England for a five-match bilateral series.

The Indian women's hockey team will prepare for the Olympic qualifiers with a tour of England. (Representative Image)

Hockey India has named a 33-member core probable list for the national women’s coaching camp, beginning on Monday at the Sports Authority of India campus in Bengaluru.

The players will report to chief coach Sjoerd Marijne for the three-week camp that concludes on September 22, following which the world number 10 team will travel to England for a five-match bilateral series.

“It was a good experience at the Olympic Test Event in Tokyo, and now we will focus on the Olympic Qualifiers. We will use this camp to stay in the rhythm, and to maintain our levels going into the Qualifiers,” said Marijne.

“We also have a tour of England coming up, which will also help us because playing matches against a strong opposition is good for our rhythm, and also gives us the chance to see where we can improve.”

International Hockey Federation on Thursday announced that the Indian women’s team will be playing its FIH Olympic Qualifiers at home, and Marijne said it will be a boost for his team.

“It will be the first time for a lot of our girls that they will be playing at home so we are all very excited. For us, it is important to focus on our game, and not worry about other factors involved.

“However, we will have a lot of people watching us, and I am sure it will serve as a huge boost to all the members of our team,” said the Dutchman.

• GOALKEEPERS: Savita, Rajani Etimarpu, Bichu Devi Kharibam
• DEFENDERS: Deep Grace Ekka, Reena Khokhar, Suman Devi Thoudam, Sunita Lakra, Salima Tete, Manpreet Kaur, Gurjit Kaur, Rashmita Minz, Mahima Choudhary, Nisha
• MIDFIELDERS: Nikki Pradhan, Monika, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Chetna, Reet, Karishma Yadav, Sonika, Namita Toppo
• FORWARDS: Rani, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Rajwinder Kaur, Jyoti, Sharmila Devi, Priyanka Wankhede, Udita