Hockey India on Sunday announced a 22-member India squad for the FIH Women’s Hockey Pro League matches against Spain on February 26 and 27. The matches will be held in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
Goalkeeper Savita will lead the squad with Deep Grace Ekka serving as her deputy. Promising young forward Sangita Kumari, who belongs to Jharkhand, finds a place in the squad.
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Commenting on the team selection, Janneke Schopman, chief coach of the Indian team, said, “We are excited to kick off our home Pro League games versus 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.”
‘Strong opponent’
She added, “Spain is a strong opponent, they have consistently performed at a high level only narrowly missing out on the semifinals 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.”
- Goalkeepers : Savita (captain), Bichu Devi Kharibam, Rajani Etimarpu
- Defenders : Deep Grace Ekka (vice-captain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary
- Midfielders : Nisha, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Jyoti, Monika, Neha, Navjot Kaur, Namita Toppo
- Forwards : Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Rajwinder Kaur
- Standbys : Rashmita Minz, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Sonika, Mariana Kujur, Aishwarya Rajesh Chavan
- Feb 26: India v Spain, 5pm, Bhubaneswar
- Feb 27: India v Spain, 5pm, Bhubaneswar
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