Indian women’s hockey team announced for CWG
The Indian women’s hockey team is placed in Pool A along with England, Canada, Wales and Ghana. India will start their campaign against Ghana on 28 July
India on Thursday named an 18-member women’s hockey team for the upcoming Commonwealth Games. (Indian Women’s Hockey Team) In which again star striker Rani Rampal has been left out as she has not been able to achieve full fitness after injury. Commonwealth Games (Commonwealth Games) The team is the same as the team participating in the World Cup next month. Goalkeeper Savita Poonia will be the captain of the team while veteran defender Deep Grace Ekka will take over as the vice-captain at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games to be held from July 28 to August 8. Both the players will play the same role in the World Cup which is being co-hosted by the Netherlands and Spain from July 1 to 17.
Only 3 changes compared to the World Cup team
Only three changes have been made to the World Cup squad for the Commonwealth Games team. Rajni Etimarpu has been named as the second goalkeeper in place of Beechu Devi Kharibam, while World Cup squad member Sonika (midfielder) has not been included in the Commonwealth Games squad. Forward Sangeeta Kumari was selected as one of the officiating players for the World Cup but is included in the Commonwealth Games squad as a full member.
India are placed in Pool A along with England, Canada, Wales and Ghana. India will start their campaign against Ghana on 28 July. Rani, who led the Indian women’s team to a historic fourth place at the Tokyo Olympics, was picked for the recent FIH Pro League matches against Belgium and the Netherlands after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Rani Rampal did not even play in Pro League
Rani did not play in the first four matches of the European leg of the Pro League, raising doubts about her fitness. Eventually she lost her place in the World Cup squad. India finished fourth in the Gold Coast 2014 Commonwealth Games after losing to England in the bronze medal match. However, after a stellar campaign in their maiden FIH Pro League, the Indian team is now trying to grab a podium spot in Birmingham. The team finished third in the FIH Pro League behind Argentina and the Netherlands.
Team has chance to win medal
Talking about the team selection, head coach Yanke Schopman said, “We have picked an experienced team for the Commonwealth Games and the players feel that they have a good chance of winning a medal this time.” “After a stellar performance in the FIH Pro League matches, the team is full of confidence and understands that the expectations are high from them,” he said.
“We will finish our World Cup campaign a few days before the Commonwealth Games, so it was important for us to choose a physically fit team as the recovery time between the two tournaments is only 10 days,” Shopman said.
Indian women’s hockey team for Commonwealth Games:
Goalkeepers: Savita (Captain), Rajni Etimarpu
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (Vice Captain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita
Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu, Pukhrambam, Monica, Neha, Jyothi, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete
Forwards: Vandana Kataria, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur
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