Forward Rani Rampal will lead the Indian women’s hockey team in the five-match tour of England, which commences on Sept. 27.
Experienced midfielder Namita Toppo makes a comeback, after a lengthy injury layoff.
Teenager Sharmila Devi, who made her international debut in the recent Olympic Test event in Tokyo, has been named in the squad.
“The balance and mixture of players in our team remains the same from previous tournaments, as we go into an important phase in our objective of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
It is good to have Namita Toppo back in the squad for the first time since Asian Games 2018.
She has given us confidence in training to select her for the upcoming tour,” chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said.
The squad: Rani Rampal (Capt.), Savita Punia (Vice-capt.), Rajani Etimarpu, Deep Grace Ekka, Gurjit Kaur, Reena Khokhar, Salima Tete, Sushila Pukhrambam, Nikki Pradhan, Monika Malik, Neha Goyal, Lilima Minz, Namita Toppo, Vandana Katariya, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Navjot Kaur, Sharmila Devi.
