Former captain of the Indian Hockey women's team Rani Rampal was on Saturday sidelined in a senior women's probables list ahead of the Asian Games 2023. A 34-member probables squad was released and Rampal's name went missing from the list. This comes two days after she lashed out at national head coach Janneke Schopman, seeking an answer for her snub.
The list features current captain Savita Punia along with experienced campaigners Deep Grace Ekka, and Gurjit Kaur, among others. The camp is set to get underway in Bengaluru on August 13 and will conclude on September 18.
The forward attack features Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Vandana Katariya, Sharmila Devi, Deepika, Sangita Kumari, Mumtaz Khan, Sunelita Toppo, and Beauty Dungdung. The midfield attack boasts of Nisha, Salima Tete, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur, Monika, Mariana Kujur, Sonika, Neha, Baljeet Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Vaishnavi Phalke, and Ajmina Kujur. Whereas the defence line has campaigners like Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Jyoti Chhatri, and Mahima Chaudhary are included in the list.
Meanwhile, coach Schopman opened up on preparations ahead of the camp. "We have showcased in our recent competitions that we are growing as a team and are constantly learning. The upcoming camp is an important one for us as we are spearheading our preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games, which could be our road to securing a spot for the Paris Olympics 2024," she said.
The coach assured that the team will be working on areas where there is a need to do so. "We will work on the areas where we still need to improve in the camp and will focus on ensuring all the players are comfortable in playing the kind of hockey that we want to play.
"
"It is important that all of us are on the same page before the all-important competition ahead for us," she had said. India will be playing their first match in the upcoming Asian Games on September 27. The team is placed alongside Korea, Malaysia, Hong Kong, China, and Singapore in Pool A.
