Salima Tete Appointed Skipper for Belgium and England Legs of FIH Pro League

Indian women’s hockey team’s midfielder Salima Tete will lead a 24-member squad for the England and Belgium legs of the upcoming FIH Pro League.

The Indian women’s team will play against Argentina, Belgium, Spain, Great Britain and Germany twice across both legs.

Salima Tete-led Indian team will start their Pro League campaign on May 22 against Argentina. While the Belgium leg of the Pro League will end on May 26, the England leg will begin on June 1 and conclude on June 9.

India is currently sixth in the FIH Pro League standings, having amassed eight points from eight matches.

Former skipper Savita Punia will be the goalkeeper, while Bichu Devi Kharibam is the second goalkeeper in the squad. Nikki Pradhan, Udita, Ishika Chaudhary, Monika, Jyoti Chhatri and Mahima Chaudhary make up the defensive line, while Salima Tete, Vaishnavi Vitthal Phalke, Navneet Kaur, Neha, Jyoti, Baljeet Kaur, Manisha Chauhan and Lalremsiami man the midfield.

The integral forward line will be taken care of by Mumtaz Khan, Sangita Kumari, Deepika, Sharmila Devi, Preeti Dubey, Vandana Katariya, Sunelita Toppo and Deepika Soreng.

Salima Tete said it is a huge responsibility to lead the team and hoped the versatile squad, with the right mix of youth and experience, will make the Pro League outing successful. “I am happy that I have been appointed to lead the team. It is a big responsibility, and I am looking forward to this new role. We have a strong squad, and it’s a mix of experienced and young players. In the upcoming Belgium and England legs of the Pro League, we look to put our strong foot forward. We have been training rigorously in the camp. We have worked on areas where we needed to improve. I am sure that we will put up good performances and get the results we desire,” she said, in a statement released by Hockey India.

Salima’s midfield partner, Navneet Kaur, will be the vice captain of the team.