The Indian women’s hockey team received a setback in their quest to qualify for Paris 2024 as star forward Vandana Katariya was ruled out of the squad for FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers taking place in Ranchi.
With their sights set on a third consecutive Olympic berth, Vandana was expected to play a key role in India’s campaign and was originally named as the vice-captain. But the veteran forward, who became the first Indian woman to earn 300 international caps recently in Ranchi during the Asian Champions Trophy, will be missing in action due to an injury suffered in training, chief coach Janneke Schopman said.
“It’s unfortunate that Vandana won’t be part of the tournament. She sustained a fracture in her cheekbone during a training session, and she has been advised to rest. While we will miss the experience of Vandana, Baljeet Kaur who has been doing well for the team will step in for her senior compatriot and Nikki, also a very experienced player for India will shoulder the responsibility of Vice Captain,” said Schopman.
On Wednesday, the Indian Women’s Hockey Team arrived in Ranchi, Jharkhand for the Qualifiers. The Indian team led by seasoned goalkeeper Savita will begin their campaign on 13th January 2024 against the United States, a team they fought against in 2019 for a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics.
Vandana will be replaced by youngster Baljeet Kaur, while local star Nikki Pradhan has been named as the Vice Captain. Notably, Nikki was the first women’s hockey player from Jharkhand to represent India at the Olympic Games in 2016.
Upon arriving in Ranchi, Captain Savita said, “We are excited to be back in Ranchi for the all-important FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024. Last time we were here for the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, the home crowd supported us a lot and we thoroughly enjoyed playing here. We are looking forward to starting our campaign and interestingly our first match is against the USA with whom we played the previous Olympic Qualifiers. I am sure it will be an exciting opening match and we look forward to a good start to our campaign.”
The Indian side grouped in Pool B will take on New Zealand on 14th January, and play against Italy on 16th January while the knockout matches will be held on 18th and 19th January respectively. The other teams in the fray include Olympic Silver medalists Germany, former Asian Games Champions Japan, Chile and the Czech Republic in Pool A. The top 3 teams from the tournament will qualify for the Paris Olympic Games 2024.
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India’s squad:
Goalkeepers: 1. Savita Punia (C), 2. Bichu Devi Kharibam
Defenders: 3. Nikki Pradhan (VC), 4. Udita, 5. Ishika Chaudhary, 6. Monika
Midfielders: 7. Nisha, 8. Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, 9. Neha, 10. Navneet Kaur, 11. Salima Tete, 12. Sonika, 13. Jyoti, 14. Beauty Dungdung
Forwards: 15. Lalremsiami, 16. Sangita Kumari, 17. Deepika, 18. Baljeet Kaur
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