/sportzpoint/media/agency_attachments/5J7QNb4CjhIemgV0IYQL.png)
Follow Us/sportzpoint/media/post_banners/8f6bc02b1e1ac25692dcc9ba42bbf8989576e8aca28c51850b4f8f31b19b44c4.jpg)
Hockey India announced the 18-member Indian squad for the Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2022 on Wednesday. The tournament will begin from 21 January till 28 January at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat, Oman.
Read also: World Games Athlete of the year 2021 nomination: Only one Indian on the list
8 teams including the defending champions, India will be competing in this competition. The countries to clash are India China, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, South Korea, and Thailand. India is grouped in Pool A with Japan, Malaysia, and Singapore. The top 4 teams in Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2022 will also enter directly in the FIH Women's Hockey World Cup 2022. Spain and Netherlands will host the World Cup.
India's star goalkeeper Savita Punia is the captain of India in the marquee tournament as regular skipper Rani Rampal will miss the tournament as she is presently undergoing rehabilitation in Bengaluru. Also, Deep Grace Ekka is the vice-captain of the Indian team.
Read also: How is the Omicron affecting the world of sports?
The 18-member squad of the Women's Hockey Asia Cup 2022:
Goalkeepers:
Savita Punia (captain), Rajani Etimarpu
Defenders:
Deep Grace Ekka (vice-captain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita
Midfielders:
Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Neha, Salima Tete, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur
Forwards:
Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Mariana Kujur, Sharmila Devi
Replacement Athletes:
Deepika (Junior), Ishika Chaudhary
Read also: Hockey India names 60 players for Senior Men National Camp
The chief coach Janneke Schopman said in a statement released by Hockey India, "This is a very important tournament for us and I am happy with the team we have chosen which is a mix of some very experienced players along with talented youngsters who have shown great potential at the international level. Though we were a bit disappointed with how things panned out for us at the Asian Champions Trophy, we were able to return to camp in SAI, Bengaluru, and put in some good sessions of hockey to prepare well for this challenge."