Hockey Women's World Cup: Savita Punia to lead India, Rani Rampal misses out

The 2022 Hockey World Cup will take place in Spain and Netherlands from July 1 to July 17. India has been grouped alongside China, New Zealand and England in Pool B. The tournament will be their first major event since the Tokyo Olympics.

Rani Rampal has not entirely recovered from her injury and will be missing out on the tournament. She returned at an FIH Pro League tie against Belgium in Antwerp to earn her 250th international cap after being on an injury layoff since the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. However, she did not feature in any more matches and is still recovering.

India lost to Ireland 3-1 in a shootout after a 0-0 tie in the quarterfinals of the previous edition of the FIH women's Hockey World Cup. Ireland then advanced to the final at the World Cup and ended their campaign with a silver medal.

The 20-member squad of the Indian Women's Team for FIH Women's World Cup includes:

Goalkeepers: Savita Punia, Bichu Devi Kharibam 

Forwards: Lalremsiami, Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi, Vandana Katariya and Navneet Kaur

Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Udita, Nikki Pradhan and Gurjit Kaur 

Midfielders: Navjot Kaur, Neha, Jyoti, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Salima Tete, Nisha, Monika and Sonika

Replacement Players: Akshata Abaso Dhekale, Sangita Kumari

Goalkeeper Savita Punia and Deep Grace Ekka will form the backbone of the Indian defensive line, just like the FIH Pro Hockey League tactic. At the same time, the forwards will be a combination of experienced players and the upcoming talent.

After the announcement, Chief Coach Janneke Schopman said, "We have chosen the best squad for the World Cup. It is a mix of experience and young talent who had shown great promise when given a chance against top teams in the FIH Pro League.

The Indian squad will play group stage games at the Wagener Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands. The team that grabs the top spot in the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals. The semifinals will be held at Estadi Olímpic de Terrassa in Terrassa, Spain.

The Birmingham Common Wealth Games squad will be very similar to the one that will compete at the World Cup. Savita Punia will act as captain, while Ekka Deep Grace will be the vice-captain.

The Common Wealth Games squad has just three changes. Replacement goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam will be replaced by Rajani Etimarpu. Sangita Kumari will be a full member, and Sonika will not be a part of the CWG squad.

India will begin their Commonwealth Games campaign against Ghana on July 29.