Hockey India named
the Indian Junior Women’s Hockey Team for the much-awaited FIH Hockey Women’s
Junior World Cup Chile 2023 scheduled to be held from November 29 to December
10, in Santiago, Chile.
India are grouped
along with Germany, Belgium and Canada in Pool C. They will begin their World
Cup campaign against Canada on November 29 before taking on the European sides
Germany and Belgium on November 30 and December 2 respectively in their Pool C matches.
The other teams in
the fray are the Netherlands, South Africa, Australia and Chile in Pool A while
Argentina, Spain, Zimbabwe and Korea are grouped in Pool B. In Pool D, England,
USA, New Zealand and Japan will vie for a place in the Quarterfinals.
The Quarter-Finals
are scheduled for December 6 and the semi-finals on December 8 while the Final
will be played on December 10.
In the previous
edition, India had narrowly missed bronze, finishing fourth. For the upcoming
edition, the Indian Junior team will be Captained by Preeti and Vice Captained
by Rutuja Dadaso Pisal.
The squad includes
goalkeepers Khushboo and Madhuri Kindo. Defenders Neelam, Preeti, Jyoti Singh
and Ropni Kumari have been named in the squad along with midfielders Mahima
Tete, Manju Chorsiya, Jyoti Chhatri, Hina Bano, Sujata Kujur and Rutaja Dadaso
Pisal.
The forward line
features Sakshi Rana, Mumtaz Khan, Annu, Deepika Soreng, Dipi Monika Toppo and
Sunelita Toppo, while defender Thounaojam Nirupama Devi and midfielder Jyothi
Edula have been named as replacement players for the marquee event.
Speaking about the
team selection, Indian Women’s Junior Team Coach Tushar Khandker said, “We have
an incredible talent pool, it wasn’t easy to select the final squad, but I
believe we have chosen the best one for the World Cup and these players have
worked very hard in the past couple of months leading up to the event.
The players are
excited, they have performed really well in the recent past and it’s a
wonderful opportunity for them to showcase their talent on the prestigious
platform.”
“We will have our
training and practice matches in Argentina before heading to Chile, so that
will help us in acclimatising to the conditions and setting the tempo for the
Junior World Cup,” he added.
Indian Junior
Women’s Hockey Team for FIH Hockey Women’s Junior World Cup Chile 2023
Goalkeepers:
Khushboo, Madhuri Kindo
Defenders: Neelam,
Preeti (C), Jyoti Singh, Ropni Kumari
Mid-Fielders:
Mahima Tete, Manju Chorsiya, Jyoti Chhatri, Hina Bano, Sujata Kujur, Rutuja
Dadaso Pisal (VC)
Forwards: Sakshi
Rana, Mumtaz Khan, Annu, Deepika Soreng, Dipi Monika Toppo and Sunelita Toppo
Replacement
Athletes: Thounaojam Nirupama Devi and Jyothi Edula.
ANI
