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Indian forward Vandana Katariya has been ruled out of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 in Ranchi due to a fracture in her cheekbone sustained during a training session. Chief coach Janneke Schopman has decided to call 22-year-old Baljeet Kaur as Vandana's replacement for the tournament.
The Indian Women's Hockey Team has announced local player Nikki Pradhan replacing Vandana Katariya as the vice-captain in the showpiece event.
While Katariya's untimely injury is unfortunate, chief coach Janneke Schopman hopes that Nikki will be able to step up in her absence. She was quoted as saying by Hockey India in the press release:
“It’s unfortunate that Vandana won’t be part of the tournament. She sustained a fracture in her cheekbone during a training session, and she has been advised to rest. While we will miss the experience of Vandana, Baljeet Kaur who has been doing well for the team will step in for her senior compatriot and Nikki, also a very experienced player for India will shoulder the responsibility of Vice Captain.”
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The Indian Women’s Hockey Team arrived in Ranchi on Wednesday (January 3) ahead of the FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024, set to begin on January 13.
Captain Savita Punia, meanwhile, is elated to be back in Ranchi for the tournament and is looking forward to the support. Savita was quoted as saying in the press release:
“We are excited to be back in Ranchi for the all-important FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024. Last time we were here for the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, the home crowd supported us a lot and we thoroughly enjoyed playing here.”
The Indian team captain is also excited to take on the United States of America in their season opener. On this, she added:
"We are looking forward to starting our campaign and interestingly our first match is against the USA with whom we played the previous Olympic Qualifiers. I am sure it will be an exciting opening match and we look forward to a good start to our campaign.”
FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024: Groups and Teams
The FIH Hockey Olympic Qualifiers 2024 is scheduled to be held in Ranchi from January 13-19. The hosts are pitted in Pool B of the competition alongside the United States of America, Italy, and New Zealand.
Pool A: Germany, Japan, Chile, Czech Republic
Pool B: India, United States of America, Italy, New Zealand
