Women's Asian Champions Trophy | Savita named skipper in absence of Rani Rampal
Regular skipper Rani Rampal has been rested while goalkeeper Savita has been given leadership duties for the upcoming Women's Asian Champions Trophy, scheduled to be held between December 5-12. The team will be playing againstĀ China, Korea, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia in single-pool tournament.
Savita will be assisted by veteran defender Deep Grace Ekka, in the team which includes Tokyo Olympians like Udita, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur. In the midfield, there will be likes of Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Nisha, Monika, Neha, Jyoti.
In the forward line will beĀ Vandana Katariya and Navneet Kaur while Rajwinder Kaur, Mariana Kujur and Sonika are the new players to make it to the team.
Speaking about the team composition, chief coach Janneke Schopman said, "Despite some unfortunate injuries and senior players joining the junior team for the Junior World Cup in South Africa, I feel we have selected a good team for the upcoming Women's Asian Champions Trophy. This tournament will be a good opportunity for some young new players to get a taste of the highest international level and I'm excited to see if we can implement our training themes consistently.
"I'm sure that expectations are high after our success at the Tokyo Olympics but we all start at zero again. I am confident that we can show our abilities and will be looking for our team to play consistently at a high pace," Schopman added.
In the previous edition, Team India had won a silver medal, after they lost out to South Korea in the final.Ā
Indian women's team:Ā Savita, Rajani Etimarpu, Deep Grace Ekka, Udita, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Namita Toppo, Monika, Neha, Jyoti, Lilima Minz, Navneet Kaur, Vandana Katariya, Rajwinder Kaur, Mariana Kujur, Sonika.