The Hindu: Sushila rested for ACT

Senior pro Sushila Chanu has been rested for the upcoming Asian Champions Trophy (ACT) as the Indian women’s hockey team prepares to participate in its first competition post-Rio Olympics later this month.

Striker Vandana Katariya has been named skipper in her absence for the fourth edition of the five-nation tournament, to be played in Singapore from October 29 to November 5. Sunita Lakra has been named vice-captain.

Besides India, ACT will feature defending champion Japan, China, Korea and Malaysia.

This would be the first time the ACT has been included in the FIH ranking cycle.

Sushila, who bounced back from a serious knee injury to lead the Indian team at its first-ever Olympics for 36 years, had to undergo a knee reconstructive surgery on return.

“She has been rested for nine months because of that. It’s sad but necessary for recovery. I would never dream of dropping someone like her from the side,” Hawgood added.

The squad:

Goalkeepers: Savita, Rajani Etimarpu; Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka, Renuka Yadav, Sunita Lakra, Hnialum Lal Ruatfeli, Namita Toppo; Midfielders: Nikki Pradhan, Navjot Kaur, Monika, Rani Rampal, Deepika, Navdeep Kaur; Forwards: Poonam Rani, Anuradha Devi, Vandana Katariya, Preeti Dubey, Punam Barla.