India name 18-member women''s team for Hawke''s Bay Cup hockey

New Delhi, March 31

India on Tuesday named a 18-member women's hockey team to be led by midfielder Ritu Rani for the Hawke's Bay Cup to be played in New Zealand from the April 11th to 19.

Besides India, the tournament will also feature Argentina, Australia, China, Japan, Korea, USA and hosts New Zealand.

While Ritu will continue to lead the Indian eves, defender Deepika has been named as the vice-captain.

India will open their campaign against China on April 11.

Training under the watchful eyes of High Performance Director Roelant Oltmans, the Indian eves will be aiming to put up a improved show in the tournament ahead of the all important Hockey World League Semi-final in Belgium.

Talking about the team, skipper Ritu Rani said: "The team is high in confidence post our back to back wins in the World League Round 2 in New Delhi. We know the tournament will not be easy but the team is in a positive frame of mind. We have worked hard on our attacks and penalty corner conversions and aim to stick to our strategies."

Oltmans added: "I have seen this team grow in confidence in the last one year and they are improving with each game. We will be clashing with the top teams in the tournament and we are looking forward to it. The aim is to stick to the basics and not experiment much on the field."

Team: Goalkeeper: Savita, Rajni Etimarpu

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Deepika, Sunita Lakra, Sushila Chanu, M N Ponnamma, Monika

Midfielders: Ritu Rani, Namita Toppo, Lilima Minz, Liliy Chanu, Navjot Kaur, Sondarya Yendala

Forwards: Vandana Katariya, Rani, Poonam Rani, Anuradha Thockchom. PTI