Hockey India announces 20-member squad for women's Asian Champions Trophy
Hockey India unveiled the 20-member squad for the upcoming Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023. The much-anticipated tournament is scheduled to take place in Ranchi, Jharkhand, from October 27 to November 5.
The Indian women's team is fresh from their bronze medal win at the Asian Games 2023 held in Hangzhou. They are all set for yet another challenging and thrilling competition against their opponents from the continent.
The 10-day-long tournament will see participation from teams like Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, along with hosts, India.
India's campaign will begin with an encounter against Thailand on October 27. They will then take on Malaysia on October 28 and China on October 30 before taking on Japan on October 31. Their final pool game will be against Korea and is scheduled for November 2. The semifinals and the final of the tournament are set to be held on November 4 and 5, respectively.
India's squad for the Asian Championship
Savita Punia, the experienced goalkeeper, will have the honor of leading the Indian team as its captain, while Deep Grace Ekka, India’s trustworthy defender, will take on the duties of vice-captain.
Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam have been named as the team’s goalkeepers. The defenders' lineup features Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, and Deep Grace Ekka. The midfield will be commanded by Nisha, Salima Tete, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sonika, Monika, Jyoti, and Baljeet Kaur, while the forward line consists of Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, and Vandana Katariya.
Sharmila Devi and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke have been named as replacement players, ensuring cover for any potential injuries.
While almost the entire squad that featured in the Asian Games is present, a notable absence was seen in the form of experienced midfielder Sushila Chanu.
Sushila was part of the squad earlier last week in Hangzhou for the Asian Games, but her name did not feature in the list released for the Asian Champions Trophy. There was no formal announcement to clarify her absence, but several sources suggest the former captain has suffered an ACL injury.
Janneke Schopman, the Chief Coach of the Indian Women's Hockey Team, gave her thoughts on the Asian Champions Trophy, saying:
"It is an important tournament for us to continue our momentum and our steady improvement as a team. While we performed well at the Asian Games to claim the bronze medal, the upcoming tournament will give us a chance to further improve our standings against our Asian challengers."
She added:
"We will get a chance to put our learnings from Hangzhou into action and test ourselves once again. With the tournament happening in Ranchi, Jharkhand, we are eager to perform our best in front of home fans and showcase our growth as a team."
Indian hockey fans will hope that the women's team can convert their Asian Games bronze into gold at the Asian Champions Trophy in Ranchi.