Vaishnavi Phalke to lead 20-member Indian team at U-23 meet in Ireland

Vaishnavi Phalke was named captain with Mumtaz Khan being assigned her deputy's role as Hockey India on Wednesday announced a 20-member Indian junior women's team at the U-23 Five Nations tournament to be held in Dublin, Ireland from June 19 to 26.

The junior women's team is scheduled to play against Netherlands, Ireland, USA and Ukraine during the tournament. It will also feature in FIH Hockey 5s, scheduled to be held in Lausanne, Switzerland on June 4 and 5th. "We've got a very talented group of players, who have been working hard to learn and improve each and every day. It's a well-balanced side, some of them performed really well at the Junior World Cup recently, while some of them will take part in their first major international outing," Coach Erik Wonink said.

"The U-23 Five Nations Tournament in Ireland will give them a good learning exposure and they are looking forward to make the most out of this opportunity." India will play their opening match against the hosts Ireland on June 19, followed by their match against Netherlands on June 20. The third match will be against Ukraine on June 22 followed by a game against USA on June 23. After the round-robin matches, the top two teams will square off against each other in the final on the June 26, while third and fourth-placed teams will play the bronze medal play-off match on the same day.

Team list:

Goalkeepers: Khushboo, Kurmapu Ramya.

Defenders: Preeti, Mamita Oram, Mahima Tete, Neelam, Hritika Singh

Midfielders: Manju Chorsiya, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke (Captain), Jyoti Chhatri, Hina Bano, Nikita Toppo, Ashwini Kolekar, Rutaja Dadaso Pisal

Forwards: Annu, Beauty Dungdung, Mumtaz Khan (Vice-Captain), Deepika Soreng, Monika Dipi Toppo, Mudugula Bhavani.