Savita to lead Indian team in Malaysia tour

New Delhi, March 27 : Experienced goalkeeper Savita will lead the 18-member Indian team in place of injured Rani while defender Deep Grace Ekka will be her deputy for the five-match series in Kuala Lumpur starting on April 4, Hockey India announced on Wednesday.

Savita will be joined by Rajani Etimarpu as goalkeepers. The defence line-up includes youngster Salima Tete, Reena Khokar, Deep Grace Ekka, Rashmita Minz and Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam along with Sunita Lakra who is making a comeback into the squad after missing the Spain Tour.

In the midfield, experienced Monika returns from injury as she joins Karishma Yadav, Nikki Pradhan, Neha Goyal and Lilima Minz. The forward line includes Jyoti, Vandana Katariya, Lalremsiami, Navjot Kaur and Navneet Kaur.

Speaking about the tour ahead of 2020 Olympic Qualifying events, chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said: “One of the things we wanted to improve after the Spain Tour was our defending and create more opportunities after we intercept the ball. These are the two key areas we want to focus on in Malaysia and we keep working on individual consistency of players.”

In the absence of regular skipper Rani, experienced Namita Toppo and dragflicker Gurjit Kaur, Marijne said it will be an opportunity for the youngsters.