Hockey India announced the 34-member core probable group for the women’s national camp on Sunday, and once again, former skipper and talented mid-fielder Rani Rampal missed out. The camp which is scheduled to begin on 16th October, will be conducted at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru. The camp will conclude on 22 October ahead of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023.
Janneke Schopman, India’s Chief Coach, explained that the upcoming week-long camp will help India refocus on the areas that require assessment and improvement. Janneke Schopman said, “Every tournament we play from now on till the Olympic Qualifiers will be important for us, giving us an opportunity to improve as a team. This will be a very short camp in Bengaluru before we move to Ranchi, and first and foremost, we will be assessing our performance at the Asian Games in detail. The players are returning after a brief break and will be mentally fresh to take on the upcoming challenge at home.”
Rani Rampal’s Continued Absence
One of India’s most seasoned players, Rampal has been out of the team for over a year now, and her absence raises several question marks. She has not been on the team since the CWG 2022 last year. She did try to make a comeback by scoring 18 goals for Haryana at the National Games but was still not picked for the team. This only raises suspicions about the rift in the team.
Talking to the Times of India, Rampal had said, “Whatever happened to me in the last two years wasn’t right. I came back from an injury, was the top scorer at the National Games, but wasn’t picked in the national team).”
“The best people who can give an answer to this are the Chief Coach or the selectors because I don’t know the answer. I am not retiring since I know I still have more to give to the sport as a player.”
Core Group
Goalkeepers
Savita
Rajani Etimarpu
Bichu Devi Kharibam
Bansari Solanki
Defenders
Deep Grace Ekka
Gurjit Kaur
Nikki Pradhan
Udita
Ishika Chaudhary
Akshata Abaso Dhekale
Jyoti Chhatri
Mahima Chaudhary
Midfielders
Nisha
Salima Tete
Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam
Jyoti
Navjot Kaur
Monika
Mariana Kujur
Sonika
Neha
Baljeet Kaur
Reena Khokhar
Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke
Ajmina Kujur
Forwards
Lalremsiami
Navneet Kaur
Vandana Katariya
Sharmila Devi
Deepika
Sangita Kumari
Mumtaz Khan
Sunelita Toppo
Beauty Dungdung
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