After missing the last edition of the World Cup, Junior Indian women team led by Salima Tete is eager to prove themselves in the biggest stage of all. The tournament, which was threatened by Covid postponements and teams pulling out, is set to begin on 1st April 2022. The first game of the tournament will feature Ireland and Ukraine. India, which finished with the bronze medal in 2013 edition of the Junior World Cup, will face Wales in their first game on 2nd April.
Indian team selected for the World Cup has decent experience under their belt- Lalremsiami, Sharmila Devi and Captain Salima Tete were part of Indian team that finished fourth in the Tokyo Olympics. Goalkeeper Bichu Devi, defender Akshata Dekhale and striker Sangita Kumari who made their senior team debut in FIH Pro League will also join these three experienced players in the squad
Placed in Group D along with Germany, Wales and Malaysia, India has a fantastic opportunity to make it to the quarterfinals of the tournament. The top two teams from each group will make it to the quarterfinals.
India’s Group Stage Schedule
| Date | Team | vs | Team | Time (IST) |
| 02-Apr-22 | India | vs | Wales | 9:00 pm |
| 03-Apr-22 | India | vs | Germany | 11:00 pm |
| 05-Apr-22 | Malaysia | vs | India | 3:30 pm |
Coach of senior Indian women team Janneke Schopman will be handling coaching duties of the squad during the tournament with Erik Wonink, Harvinder Singh, S Gayathri, Kavita Nambisan and Patrick Tshutshani forming the support staff for the tournament.
Coach Janneke Schopman in a byte to Hockey India mentioned that it was difficult to select the team for the tournament. It was progress shown by the players that made team selection difficult- ‘With a couple of players making their debut for the Senior Team in the Pro League recently, I believe that the added experience will have a positive influence. The team overall has a nice mixture of different skills and talents, and I am excited to see them taking on the best teams in the world at U21 level’
Indian team for Junior Hockey World Cup
Goalkeepers: Bichu Devi and Khushboo
Defenders: Marina Lalramnghaki, Preeti, Priyanka, Ishika Chaudhary (VC) and Akshata Dekhale
Midfielders: Vaishnavi Phalke, Salima Tete (C), Reet, Ajmina Kujur, Sharmila Devi, Lalremsiami and Baljeet Kaur
Forwards: Lalrindiki, Jiwan Kishori Toppo, Mumtaz Khan, Beauty Dungdung, Deepika and Sangita Kumari
Standbys: Madhuri Kindo, Neelam, Manju Chorsiya, Rutuja Pisal and Annu
Where to Watch?
All matches of the tournament will be shown LIVE via FIH’s Watch.Hockey app and Fan Code app. Both options are subscription based
Image Courtesy: Google Images
(With inputs from Hockey India official website)
