Hockey
A look at the Indian women's hockey team going to the Tokyo Olympics
The 16-member squad of Indian women's hockey team for Tokyo Olympics is announced. Here is what the squad looks like
Hockey India, announced the 16-member Indian women's hockey squad for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, which starts fromJuly 23rd, 2021. After the 1980 and 2016 Olympics, the women's team will be playing their third Olympics in Tokyo.
This team is a mix of youth and experienced players. Eight players including Rani Rampal, Savita Punia, Deep Grace Ekka, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Nikki Pradhan, Navjot Kaur and Vandana Katariya were part of the 2016 Rio Olympics squad, the rest will be making their Olympics debut next month.
Let's take a look at all the members of the Indian women's hockey team going to the Tokyo Olympics.
Indian squad:
Captain: Rani Rampal
Goalkeeper: Savita Punia
Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Nikki Pradhan, Gurjit Kaur, Udita
Midfielders: Nisha, Neha Goyal, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika Malik, Navjot Kaur, Salima Tete
Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi
Indian womens hockey squad for Tokyo Olympics (Source: The Statesman)
Rani Rampal
Rani Rampal, born on (December 4th 1994) is from Haryana. She plays as a forward for the Indian team and will also captain the side in the Tokyo Olympics. She is the youngest player to play for India, when she made her debut at the age of 15 in the 2010 World cup. The 26-years-old has scored 112 goals across 226 matches for the national team. This will be her second Olympics the first one being at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Savita Punia
Savita Punia born on (July 11th 1990) is from Haryana and plays as the goalkeeper for the Indian team. In 2008, she made her junior national team debut at the age of 17, and her senior international debut came up in 2011. The 30-year-old goalkeeper was also a part of the bronze medal-winning 2014 Asian games team and silver medal-winning 2018 Asian games team. She was the goalkeeper for India in their last Olympics, and will continue the same for her second Olympics in Tokyo.
Deep Grace Ekka
Deep Grace Ekka, born on (June 3rd 1994), is from Odisha, who plays as a defender for the Indian team. She made her international debut in the year 2011, and has played around 150 matches for India. The 27-years-old was part of both the 2014 and 2018 Asian games team, and she also made the cut to the 2016 Olympics team. In addition to being a defender, she also doubles up as a drag-flicker when required.
Nikki Pradhan
Nikki Pradhan, born on (December 8th 1993) is from Jharkhand and was the first female hockey player from the state to represent India. She made her senior international debut in the year 2015, and a year later, she was selected in the squad which represented India at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The 27-years-old made 76 appearances for India till now, and this will be her second Olympics at Tokyo.
Gurjit Kaur
Gurjit Kaur, born on (October 25th 1995) is from Punjab who plays as a defender as well as the crucial drag-flicker for the Indian team. In 2017, she made her senior international debut, and scored 8 goals at the 2018 Hockey World cup. The 25-years-old will be a vital player with the drag flicks at her debut Olympics.
Udita
Udita, born on (January 14th 1998) is from Haryana who plays as a defender for the Indian team. The 23-years-old has been a regular feature in the Indian team since 2017, and she was playing as a forward. In 2019, she suffered a knee injury which forced her to play as a defender for the team now. This will be her debut Olympics in Tokyo.
Nisha
Nisha, born on (July 9th 1995), plays as a midfielder for the Indian team. She made her debut for the senior squad in the 2019 FIH Women's series finals at Hiroshima. She was also part of the teams that toured Argentina in January and Germany in February this year. This will be her debut Olympics in Tokyo.
Neha Goyal
Neha Goyal, born on (November 15th 1996) is from Haryana who plays as a midfielder for the Indian team. She made her senior national debut in 2014 during the FIH Champions league and was also part of the 2018 world cup team. Tokyo Olympics will be her debut Olympics.
Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam
Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, born on (February 25th 1992), is from Manipur, plays as a midfielder for the Indian team. She was the captain of the Indian team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Pukhrambam, first got noticed when she led the junior Indian team to a bronze medal finish in the Hockey junior world cup. Soon, she made her senior national team debut in the 2014 Asian Games, where India won a bronze medal. The 29-years-old is one of the most experienced players on the side with 150 appearances for India and will try to do well in her second Olympics at Tokyo.
Monika Malik
Monika Malik born on (November 5th 1993) is from Haryana who plays as a midfielder for the Indian team. She made her international debut in the year 2012, and since then, she has been part of the bronze medal-winning team in the 2014 Asian games and silver medal-winning team in the 2018 Asian games. The 27-years-old was also part of the last year Olympics team, and this will be her second Olympics at Tokyo.
Navjot Kaur
Navjot Kaur, born on (March 7th 1995) is from Haryana who plays as a midfielder for the Indian team. She is one of the most experienced players in the midfield with more than 100 appearances for India, and this will be the second Olympics after the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Salima Tete
Salima Tete, born on (December 27th 2001) is from Jharkhand and plays as a midfielder for the Indian team. She is also the youngest player in the squad. From 2019, she became a regular for the Indian team and was also part of the 2019 FIH women's series finals, which led to India qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics. The 19-years-old is the youngest player in the squad and the second player from Jharkhand to be part of the Tokyo Olympics squad.
Navneet Kaur
Navneet Kaur, born on (January 26th 1996) is from Haryana who plays as a forward for the Indian team. In 2012, she made her debut for the national team, and since 2018, she has been a regular feature for the Indian team. The striker was part of the Silver medal-winning 2018 Asian games team and women's world cup team in the same year. The 25-years-old will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
Lalremsiami
Lalremsiami, born on (March 30th 2000) is from Mizoram who plays as a forward for the Indian team. She made her senior debut in the 2017 Asia cup, in which India emerged as the winners. Since then, she has been a regular feature for India playing tournaments such as the 2018 Asian champions trophy, 2018 Women's world cup. She was also part of the 2018 youth Olympics in which India secured a silver medal. This will be her debut Olympics in Tokyo.
Vandana Katariya
Vandana Katariya, born on (April 15th 1992) is from Uttarakhand who plays as a forward for the Indian team. She came into the limelight when she was the top goal-scorer for India in the 2013 Women's hockey junior world cup. Since then, she has been a regular feature for India in every tournament, making more than 200 appearances for India. The striker was part of the last Olympics, and this will be her second Olympics at Tokyo.
Sharmila Devi
Sharmila Devi, born on (October 10th 2001), plays as a forward for the Indian team, and she is the second-youngest player in the squad. She made her international debut in the 2019 FIH Olympic qualifier and since then has been a regular feature for the Indian team. The 19-years-old striker will make her Olympic debut in Tokyo.
