Ace midfielder Salima Tete was named captain of the 24- women’s team announced by Hockey India on Thursday that will participate in the Belgium and England legs of the FIH Pro League 2023-24.
The Belgium leg will begin on 22nd May and end on 26th May while the England leg will commence on 1st June and conclude on 9th June.
India will play against Argentina, Belgium, Spain, Britain and Germany twice each across both legs, beginning their campaign against Argentina on 22nd May.
India are currently placed at 6th position, having eight points from eight matches.
Taking charge of the team will be Captain Salima Tete, who was recently honoured with the prestigious Hockey India Balbir Singh Sr. Award for Player of The Year 2023 in the Women’s category at the 6th Hockey India Annual Awards 2023.
Midfielder Navneet Kaur has been named her deputy.
The goalkeeping responsibilities will rest with Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam, while the defensive line-up includes Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Monika, Jyoti Chhatri and Mahima Chaudhary.
The midfield section will be marshalled by Salima Tete, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur, Manisha Chauhan and Lalremsiami.
The forward line consist of Mumtaz Khan, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Sharmila Devi, Preeti Dubey, Vandana Katariya, Sunelita Toppo and Deepika Soreng.
Speaking on the team selection and on being appointed as the Captain, Salima Tete said, “I am happy that I have been appointed to lead the team. It is a big responsibility and I am looking forward to this new role.
“We have a strong squad and it’s a mix of experienced and young players. In the upcoming Belgium and England legs of the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-2024, we look to put our strong foot forward. We have been training rigorously in the camp. We have worked on areas where we needed to improve. I am sure that we will put up good performances and get the results we desire.”
Meanwhile, Vice-Captain Navneet Kaur said, “It feels surreal to be named as the Vice-Captain of the Indian Women’s Hockey Team. I am quite excited to get on with this team in the FIH Hockey Pro League 2023-24, where we will play quality teams. We have a good team and we are confident that we will do well in the Europe leg of the Pro League.
” I am also looking to work on my game and improve. We had a camp in SAI, Bengaluru where we underwent high-intensity training and I am looking forward to the upcoming games.”