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New Delhi:
Striker Saba Anjum will lead an 18-member Indian women's hockey
team in Australia where they are scheduled to play a four-Test
series against the host nation followed by a three-nation 9-a-side
International Super Series in Perth Oct 12-24.
The selection trials for the team were conducted at SAI Centre in
Bhopal Wednesday.
Anjum and Jasjeet Kaur Handa, both from Railways, will be the
captain and vice captain, respectively, on the tour. Anjum and
Handa have 129 and 103 International Caps, respectively.
Hockey India selectors BP Govinda, Syed Ali and Rekha Bhide
besides Government Observers Harbinder Singh and Dilip Tirkey
witnessed the trials where the probables also went through their
paces in the new 9-a-side format of the game.
This format, featuring only nine players per side, is played on
the normal dimension field but with several changes like an
additional one metre wider goal. One player must be in the
attacking half at all times.
There can be only two defenders besides the goalkeeper to stop
penalty corners and there must not be more than four players from
the attacking team for taking these penalty corners. The attacking
players have to stand outside the 23-metre line before they
receive the out push from the backline and the penalty corner must
be executed within 25 seconds. However, in the case of long
corners it is five players versus five. Again the attackers have
to be outside the 23-metre area.
If the scores are level after thirty minutes, the penalty shootout
will be applicable. The striker is allowed only eight seconds to
score starting from the 23-metre line.
The match duration is thirty minutes with two halves of fifteen
minutes each thus making it fast and furious with fitness and
athleticism as the key.
The other teams in the three-nation tournament to be played Oct
20-23 are Malaysia and hosts Australia.
India will begin their tour with four Test matches against
Australia from Oct 14 and will then play the 9-a-side tournament
which has FIH sanction. This is the first time that such a
tournament is being played internationally and the organisers have
coincided the event with the Commonwealth Heads of Government
Meeting (CHOGM) at Perth.
The team:
Goalkeepers: Yogita Bali, E Rajani.
Defenders: Joydeep Kaur, Preety Sunila Kiro, Jaspreet Kaur.
Midfielders: Asunta Lakra, Kirandeep Kaur, Ritu Rani, P Sushila
Chanu, Mukta Prava Barla, Deepika.
Forwards: Saba Anjum - (Captain), Jasjeet Kaur Handa (Vice
Captain), Poonam Rani, Vandana Katariya Rani, Soundarya Yendala,
Rosalin Dung Dung.
Standbys: Savita (GK), Th. Pinki Devi (Defender), MN Ponnamma
(Midfielder), Kiran Dahiya (Midfielder), Rashmi Singh (Forward).
Test series schedule:
Oct 14 - 1st Test v Australia
Oct 15 - 2nd test v Australia
Oct 17 - 3rd Test v Australia
Oct 18 - 4th Test v Australia
International Super Series 9-a-side Tournament at Perth:
Oct 20 - India v Malaysia (Two Matches)
Oct 21 - India v Australia (Two Matches)
Oct 22 - India v Malaysia (Two Matches)
India v Australia (Two Matches)
Oct 23 - Final & 3/4 Place
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