India pick tried and tested women’s squad for FIH WC

New Delhi, June 21: Talismanic striker and former skipper Rani Rampal, who is yet to regain full fitness, did not find a place in the Indian team for the next month’s FIH World Cup as Hockey India announced an 18-member squad on Tuesday.
Rani, who led the Indian women to the historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics, was picked for the recent FIH Pro League matches in Belgium and Netherlands after recovering from a hamstring injury.
She didn’t feature in the first four games of the side’s European leg of Pro League, raising doubts about her full fitness. Eventually it cost her a place in the World Cup-bound squad. Besides Rani’s exclusion, there are no further surprises.
India women WC hockey squad
Goalkeepers: Savita (C), Bichu Devi Kharibam.
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (VC), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita.
Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Neha, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur, Sonika, Salima Tete.
Forwards: Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi.
Replacement players: Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Sangita Kumari. (PTI)