Hockey India names Indian junior women's team for SA tour

Bengaluru: Hockey India on Tuesday named Preeti as captain of the Indian junior women's team for an upcoming tour of South Africa.

Rutaja Dadaso Pisal will be the vice-captain on the tour. The Indian team will play a series of matches on the tour between February 17 and 25 against the South Africa junior women's team and their A team.

India's forward line includes Deepika Soreng, Deepika, Sunelita Toppo, Madugula Bhavani, Annu, and Taranpreet Kaur. In the midfield, Jyoti Chhatri, Manju Chorsiya, Hina Banu, Nikita Toppo, Hritika Singh, Sakshi Rana and Rutaja Dadaso Pisal have been given the opportunities. Preeti, Jyoti Sing, Neelam, Mahima Tete, and Mamita Oram constitute Indian's defence line-up on the tour. Apart from the 20 players, Aditi Maheshwari, Anjali Barwa, Edula Jyothi and Bhumiksha Sahu have been named as the four reserve players in the squad. Indian women's hockey chief coach Janneke Schopman said, "The tour is a good opportunity for us to test our young batch of talented players and give them the right kind of exposure. "It is important for us to ensure that we continue to give ample playing opportunities to players who are showing signs of progress. We hope to achieve good results on the tour."