Rani Rampal To Lead India's Women's Hockey Team At Tokyo Olympics

Captain Rani Rampal: Rani Rampal was announced as the captain on Monday for the 16-member Indian Women's Hockey Team for Tokyo Olympics.

As the captain of the team, Rampal has been able to secure several wins for the Women's Hockey team in the past. This list includes Silver at Asian Champions Trophy 2018, Asia Cup in 2017 and FIH Series Final in 2019.

In 2018, the women's hockey team made it to the quarterfinals of the FIH Women's Cup in London. It was the first time the Indian team had gone so far in the tournament. Rampal made a goal in FIH Olympic qualifiers that put India ahead of the USA with scores 6-5.

Other than Rampal, other players who made the team are Deep Grace Ekka, defender and goalkeeper Savita. The two players will serve as the vice-captains of the team. Savita and Deep were part of the team when India secured the 9th world ranking in 2018.

Sjoerd Marijne, Indian Women's Team Chief Coach said, "I congratulate Rani on being named the Captain of the Indian Women's Hockey Team for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. I also congratulate Deep Grace Ekka and Savita on being named the Vice Captains of the team. "

"All these three players have been part of the leadership group for a long time and have proven their abilities with this added responsibility and have guided many youngsters in the Core Group. Having two Vice Captains will also strengthen the core leadership group for the future, Marijne added.

The coach said that the experience of the three players is important as the team aims to get good results at the Olympics. He also said that the team needs to mentally strong as a tough challenge awaits them at the tournament. He expressed his confidence in the three players.

Rani Rampal gave her statement of the new development and expressed gratitude for making the team captain. She said, "It is a huge honour to lead the Indian Team at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020. In these past years my role as a Captain was made easy with teammates who have shared the responsibilities as senior players. I look forward to this added responsibility and thank Hockey India, Coaching staff and selectors for this honour."