Rani to lead India in Commonwealth Games women's hockey tournament
Rani to lead India in Commonwealth Games women's hockey tournament: After leading India to a successful tour of South Korea with a 3-1 win in five Test series, Rani has retained her captaincy of Indian women's hockey team for the ensuing Commonwealth Games to be held at Gold Coast, Australia, from April 4. Hockey India has named the 18-member team that shows no surprises, except for the return of goalkeeper Savita. India is grouped in Pool A along with Malaysia, Wales, England and South Africa and will begin their campaign on April 5 against Wales. Goalkeeper Savita will shoulder the duties of Vice-Captain as she makes a return to the team after having been rested for the recently concluded tour of South Korea. Besides 27-year-old Savita, Rajani Etimarpu is the other goalkeeper. The deep defence is a blend of experience and grit as Deepika, Sunita Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam have been named in the team. Monika, Namita Toppo, Nikki Pradhan, Neha Goyal and Lilima Minz will marshal the midfield while Rani, Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navjot Kaur, Navneet Kaur and Poonam Rani, will form India’s attack. The Indian team is currently ranked No. 10 in the world and will face stiff competition from higher ranked teams such as World No. 2 England, World No. 4 New Zealand and World No. 5 hosts Australia. However, Chief Coach Harendra Singh is confident that this team can upset its higher raned opponents. “We have played with the same set of players for a long period so the players have formed a great understanding between themselves which was evident during our 2017 Asia Cup triumph. The team also performed well in South Korea to beat a higher-ranked side and we will be looking to cause a few upsets and aim for the podium as the morale is high going into the prestigious Gold Coast 2018 XXI Commonwealth Games,” he said. The Coach also welcomed the inclusion of the experienced goalkeeper Savita, who is currently in Oman undergoing a Goalkeeping coaching course. The Junior Men’s World Cup-winning coach said, “Savita is an integral part of the team and brings a lot of experience in goal for us. She has played over 200 matches for her country and has performed in crucial matches of big tournaments. Therefore, it is good to have her back in the team as she helps the defensive and offensive players as well by imparting her expertise.” The Indian team had won the Gold Medal at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in England after defeating the hosts 3-2 during extra-time and won the Silver Medal in the subsequent 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne. They lost the Final to the hosts. However, the team has only managed to finish 5th in the 2010 and 2014 editions of the quadrennial tournament. Skipper Rani is confident that her team can repeat the feat of 2002 and 2006 in Australia. The 23-year-old said, “We go into the tournament in good form after winning the series in South Korea and while we have only finished fifth in the two previous occasions, this time we will look to finish on the podium as we have a great set of players with a mixture of experience and youth. The team's hunger to win will certainly be a key factor in us performing well at the Games.” Squad: Goalkeepers 1. Savita (VC) 1. Rajani Etimarpu Defenders 3. Deepika 4. Sunita Lakra 5. Deep Grace Ekka 6. Gurjit Kaur 7. Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam Midfielders 8. Monika 9. Namita Toppo 10. Nikki Pradhan 11. Neha Goyal 12. Lilima Minz Forwards 13. Rani (C) 14. Vandana Katariya 15. Lalremsiami 16. Navjot Kaur 17. Navneet Kaur 18. Poonam Rani
