Ritu rested, Sushila to lead Indian eves in 4-nation tournament

New Delhi : Defender Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam will lead the Indian women hockey team in place of rested skipper Ritu Rani in the upcoming four-nation tournament in Darwin as part of preparation for the Rio Olympics in August.The tournament, which will also feature Australia, New Zealand and Japan, will commence from May 30.
Meanwhile, Deepika has been retained in the squad as vice-captain, alongside Poonam Rani and Vanadana Kataria, who will form the core group of veterans hoping to lead the team to a good showing prior to the Games.The squad also includes youngsters, defender Nikki Pradhan and 18-year-old mid fielder Preeti Dubey, who was named the Asunta Lakra Upcoming Player of the Year Award (Women U-21) at the 2nd Annual Hockey India Awards this year.Jubilant after being appointed as skipper, Chanu said, “It is a huge honour, to be named Captain of the squad for the tour. We have already faced Japan and New Zealand earlier, at the Hawke’s Bay Cup. Our chief aim will be to perform well against Japan and Australia and analyse their game at close quarters, since they are in our Pool at the Olympics.”Talking about the squad announcement, Chief Coach Neil Hawgood said, “We are looking forward to the tournament. We are up against three world class teams and it will help us immensely in our preparations ahead of the Rio Olympics. Additionally, two of those teams are in our Pool in Rio (Australia and Japan). This will serve as good practice.”All four teams competing in Darwin are in the top echelon of hockey nations with Australia currently ranked third, the Kiwi’s fourth, Japan tenth overall and India ranked 13th in the world.