Hockey India has selected a 22-member women's team to compete in the forthcoming FIH Women's Hockey Pro League matches against Spain in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The matches will take place on February 26 and 27, 2022, during the weekend. Savita, the squad's star goalie, will lead the team, while Deep Grace Ekka will serve as vice-captain. Sangita Kumari, a bright young striker from Jharkhand who made a mark with the Junior India squad, would be a fresh face for the Indian team.
Savita, Rajani Etimarpu, and Bichu Devi Kharibam are among the 22 players selected for the doubleheader against Spain. Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, and Ishika Chaudhary Udita have been chosen as defenders, while Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Salima Tete, Jyoti, Monika, Navjot Kaur, Neha, and Namita Toppo have been chosen as midfielders. Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi, Sangita Kumari, Lalremsiami, and Rajwinder Kaur are among the veteran forwards in the lineup. Rashmita Minz, Sonika, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Aishwarya Rajesh Chauvan, and Mariana Kujur have also been picked as backups for the doubleheader.
Janneke Schopman, the Chief Coach of the Indian Women's Hockey Team, commented on the team selection, "We are excited to kick off our home Pro League games vs 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."
She added, "Spain is a strong opponent, they have consistently performed at a high level only narrowly missing out on the Semi-Finals 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."
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