Hockey India announces 24-member junior women's squad for four-nation tournament in Argentina

Hockey India has released the 24-member women's junior team who will participate in the upcoming four-nation tournament in Rosario, Argentina from May 25 to June 2. The four nations participating in the tournament will be Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and India. In preparation for the FIH Hockey Junior Women's World Cup in December, India will play two matches against each of the participating nations in order to test their performance, analyze the team combination and tactics.

The Indian side will have goalkeeper Nidhi as the captain while forward Heena Bano will take on the vice-captain role. The chosen team will have Angel Harsha Rani Minj as the second goalkeeper and Vidyashree V as the standby. The backline of the team will have Mamita Oram, Lalthantuanghi, Manisha, Puja Sahu, Parvati Topno, Nandini, and Sakshi Shukla.

The midfield will feature Priyanka Yadav, Anisha Sahu, Rajani Kerketta, Binima Dhan, Khaidem Shilema Chanu, Sanjana Horo, Supriya Kujur and Priyanka Dogra, while Huda Khan and Munmuni Das will be listed as standby midfielders. The forward line comprises Hina Bano, Sonam, Sukhveer Kaur, Geeta Yadav, Lalrinpuii, Kanika Siwach and Karmanpreet Kaur, while Celestina Horo has been named as the standby forward.

Speaking about the team selection, Indian junior women's team coach Tushar Khandker said, "We want to identify our best players from this squad, especially with the Junior World Cup six months away. This tour will provide the players with valuable international exposure and experience. In the long run, we are also preparing them for a smooth transition to the senior team. This transition is only possible if they perform well in a major tournament like the World Cup, which makes this tour extremely important." India will take on Chile in their first match of the tournament on May 25.