Hockey India announce 20-member team for Women's Asian Champions Trophy

Hockey India on Wednesday announced the 20-member women's team for the prestigious Women's Asian Champions Trophy, set to take place from October 27 to November 5 in Ranchi, Jharkhand.

India, which recently claimed the bronze medal at the 19th Asian Games at Hangzhou, will be competing in the tournament alongside Japan, China, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Savita will be leading the side with Deep Grace Ekka as her deputy. India will open their campaign against Thailand on October 27, and then follow it up with a match against Malaysia October 28.

India will take on China in their third game October 30, and then compete against Japan October 31 before playing their final pool game against Korea November 2.

The semifinals and final of the tournament will be played November 4, and 5, respectively.

Savita and Bichu Devi Kharibam have been named in the list of goalkeepers in the squad while Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, and Deep Grace Ekka have been named as defenders.

Nisha, Salima Tete, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sonika, Monika, Jyoti, and Baljeet Kaur form the midfield line-up, while Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, and Vandana Katariya have been named as the forwards in the squad.

Meanwhile, Sharmila Devi and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke will also travel with the squad as the backup options.

Speaking on the upcoming competition, chief coach Janneke Schopman said: "It is an important tournament for us to continue our momentum and our steady improvement as a team. While we performed well at the Asian Games to claim the bronze medal, the upcoming tournament will give us a chance to further improve our standings against our Asian challengers.

"We will get a chance to put our learnings from Hangzhou into action and test ourselves once again. With the tournament happening in Ranchi, Jharkhand, we are eager to perform our best in front of home fans, and showcase our growth as a team."

Goalkeepers: Savita (Captain), Bichu Devi Kharibam

Defenders: Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Deep Grace Ekka (Vice-Captain)

Mid-fielders: Nisha, Salima Tete, Neha, Navneet Kaur, Sonika, Monika, Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur

Forwards: Lalremsiami, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Vandana Katariya

Replacements players: Sharmila Devi and Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke