Veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia has withdrawn from the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 Qualifiers due to personal reasons, with Salima Tete named as the captain of the 20-member Indian squad.
'I am very happy with the squad and the way they are playing at this moment.'
India asserted its supremacy with a commanding 3-1 victory over Wales in a 9/16 classification match at the FIH Junior Women's World Cup.
The 23-year-old Salima has been an integral part of the team for a while after being appointed captain last year.
India conceded more than 100 penalty corners, including 17 in a game against Belgium across 16 Pro League matches.
Star drag-flicker Deepika scored the winning goal from a penalty corner in the 12th minute to give India a crucial 1-0 victory over Germany in a return-leg women's FIH Pro League match. The win came after India's 0-4 loss against the same opponents on Friday.
India's women's hockey team, led by captain Salima Tete, is confident of an improved performance in the upcoming Bhubaneswar leg of the FIH Pro League.
Udita attracts highest bid in first half of HIL women's auction
Goalkeeper Nidhi stole the spotlight in the final, with three clutch saves in the shootout against Lihang Wang, Jingyi Li, and Dandan Zuo, helping her side prevail over the Chinese.
Nidhi made back-to-back saves in the second quarter to keep the scores level after 25 minutes.
Mid-fielder Salima Tete on Thursday replaced veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia as captain of the 24-strong Indian women's hockey squad for the Belgium and England legs of the FIH Pro League starting later this month.
Defending champions India asserted their dominance with a 3-1 victory over Japan to secure a place in the final of the Women's Junior Asia Cup hockey tournament.
Despite a tense final quarter that saw multiple penalty corners, Spain's defence stood firm to deny Germany an equaliser.
India continued their unbeaten run and defeated Japan 2-0 to enter the final of the women's Asian Champions Trophy hockey tournament in Rajgir, Bihar
Young striker Deepika turned out to be the star again, scoring a fine reverse hit goal as India retained the women's Asian Champions Trophy hockey title after edging past Olympics silver medallist China 1-0 in a pulsating final at Rajgir, Bihar, on Wednesday.
The camp getting underway in Bengaluru on Sunday will conclude on September 18.
Goalkeeper Madhuri Kindo shone under the bar as India displayed remarkable resilience to eke out a 3-2 win over USA in sudden death to finish ninth at the Junior Women's hockey World Cup in Santiago.
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