Salima Tete becomes new captain of Indian women's hockey team for the upcoming FIH Pro League 2023-24

Midfielder Salima Tete of Jharkhand has been named captain of India's 24-member women's hockey team for the Belgium and England leg of the FIH Pro League to be held later this month, replacing experienced goalkeeper Savita Punia. Hockey India announced this on Thursday. 

Also Read: Indian Hockey team's schedule for Olympics 2024

At the same time, midfielder Navneet Kaur has been made the vice-captain of the team. She replaced Vandana Katariya to take the charge. 

Belgium stage will start from May 22

The matches in Belgium will be held from 22 to 26 May and in England from 1 to 9 June. India will face Argentina and Belgium twice in the first leg. The team will play Britain and Germany in the London phase. India is currently ranked sixth in the Pro League table with eight points from eight matches.

All matches of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24 will be streamed on JioCinema, additionally, all India matches will be telecast live on Sports18 - Khel.

Salima Tete recently received Balbir Singh Sr. Award

Salima Tete made her debut in the national team in 2017 against Belarus. India won the silver medal in the 2018 Youth Olympic Games under the captaincy of Salima. In 2021, she was part of the Indian Olympic team. Salima recently received the Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year (Women) at the 6th Hockey India Annual Awards.

India failed to book spot in Paris Games under Savita's captaincy

Savita Punia was the captain of the Indian team during the Olympic qualifiers and subsequent Pro League matches. The Indian women's hockey team is going through a period of transition after failing to secure a berth at the Paris Olympics 2024. It also turned out to be a disappointing result for the team as it had finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics after a loss at the hands of Great Britain in the Bronze medal match.

Notably, four players from Jharkhand have been selected for the Indian team. Which includes Nikki Pradhan, Salima Tete, Sangita Kumari and Deepika Soreng. Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam will be in charge of goalkeeping, while Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Monika, Jyoti Chhatri, and Mahima will form the defense.

Also Read: What is the history of hockey in India?

Indian Squad: 

Goalkeepers

• Savita
• Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defenders 

• Nikki Pradhan
• Udita
• Ishika Chaudhary
• Monika
• Jyoti Chhatri
• Mahima Chaudhary

Midfielders

• Salima Tete (C)
• Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke
• Navneet Kaur (VC)
• Neha
• Jyoti
• Baljeet Kaur
• Manisha Chauhan
• Lalremsiami

Forwards

• Mumtaz Khan
• Sangita Kumari
• Deepika
• Sharmila Devi
• Preeti Dubey
• Vandana Katariya
• Sunelita Toppo
• Deepika Soreng