Junior Team Coach Tushar Khandker: Hockey India on Thursday 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 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, the USA, New Zealand and Japan will vie for a place in the Quarterfinals.
The Quarter-Finals are scheduled for December 6 and Semi-Finals on December 8 while the Final will be played on December 10.
In the previous edition, India had narrowly missed the bronze medal, finishing fourth. For the upcoming edition, the Indian Junior team will be captained by Preeti and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal will be her deputy.
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.
Team:
Goalkeepers: Khushboo, Madhuri Kindo
Defenders: Neelam, Preeti (C), Jyoti Singh, Ropni Kumari,
Midfielders: 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, Sunelita Toppo
Replacement athletes: Thounaojam Nirupama Devi, Jyothi Edula