Marijne names fresh faces in 20-member squad

In his first press conference after taking over the reins of India women’s national hockey team earlier this year, coach Sjoerd Marijne spoke highly of the youngsters in the camp.

He had said, “I am very happy with the talent, selected six from juniors and the clear reason is their performance.”And the Dutchman named quite a few of them in the team that will take part in the World Cup qualifiers to be held in Hyderabad from Mar 8-14. Among them there are two new faces, too, in Annu and Ishika.

Hailing from Haryana, Annu played a pivotal role during the 2023 Junior Asia Cup in Kakamigahara, Japan, scoring 9 goals in 5 games. She had also played in the 2023 Junior World Cup and scored 7 goals in six matches.

As for Ishika, she plays as a forward and scored two goals during the Junior World Cup held in Santiago, Chile, in Dec last year. She was part of the Hockey India League (HIL), too, where she played for the eventual champions SG Pipers.Meanwhile, as reported Savita was not available for selection, and it will be Bansari Solanki and Bichu Devi Kharibam who will be taking care of the goalkeeping duties in her absence.Also absent from the team is Deepika. The young forward and dragflicker had impressed during Asian Champions Trophy in 2024 in Rajgir but got injured ahead of Asia Cup last year.

She, however, has travelled with the team and if she does pass the fitness test, will play later in the tournament.Moreover, there’s several other changes including Sushila Chanu, who has made a comeback to the team after missing Asia Cup with recurring knee injury. Salima Tete will continue to lead the side, and one hopes to see her in good form after her recent struggles. The team will now play two practice matches before their opener against Uruguay next Sunday and the coach is confident that his team knows what needs to be done.“We are really looking forward to our first tournament together. We have been working on the fitness and the tactics, so everybody understands their tasks and role in the team,” said Marijne in a release. The squad: Goalkeepers: Bansari Solanki, Bichu Devi Kharibam. Defenders: Sushila Chanu, Pukhrambam, Nikki Pradhan, Manisha Chauhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary. Midfielders: Neha, Salima Tete, Sunelita Toppo, Sakshi Rana, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal, Deepika Soreng. Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Ishika, Lalremsiami, Beauty Dungdung, Baljeet Kaur, Annu.