Hockey India name women's squad for 5-nation International Jr tourney

Midfielder Sonika will lead the 20-member squad, announced by Hockey India today, at the five-nation International Junior hockey tournament, to be held from October 24 to 30 at Valencia, Spain.

Rashmita Minz has been named the vice-captain for the upcoming tournament. Divya Thepe and Sonal Minj will be the goalkeepers and the defence line-up comprises Ritu, Gagandeep Kaur, Mahima Choudhary, Asmita Barla and Salima Tete.

The midfield include three Kaurs -- Manpreet, Navneet and Navpreet -- apart from Karishma Yadav and Udita. Meanwhile, Alka Dungdung, Jyoti, Puja Yadav, Amrinder Kaur will form the forwardline.

Gearing up to face a tough challenge, India will be playing against some of the best European teams like Germany, England, Spain and Belgium.

"This tournament will be a good exposure for the women's team as we play top European teams and for many this is their first international exposure. The athletes have been undergoing rigorous training camps in SAI, Bhopal and have been also closely watched by Indian Women Hockey Team Chief Coach Neil Hawgood," Indian Junior Women's hockey team coach, Baljeet Singh Saini said.

Squad:
Goalkeepers: Divya Thepe, Sonal Minj.
Defenders: Salima Tete, Asmita Barla, Rashmita Minz (vice-captain), Ritu, Mahima Choudhary, Gagandeep Kaur.
Midfielders: Udita, Manpreet Kaur, Karishma Yadav, Navpreet Kaur, Sonika (captain), Navneet Kaur.
Forwards: Jyoti, Puja Yadav, Alka Dungdung, Sangita Kumari, Amrinder Kaur, Jyoti Gupta.