The Indian team for the Women's FIH Junior Hockey World Cup to be played in Santiago, Chile, from December 1, was announced by Hockey India on Monday (November 10). Jyoti Singh will captain the Indians in the eleventh edition of the under-21 tournament, featuring 24 teams that have been split into 6 pools for the league stage.The Indians, who finished ninth out of sixteen teams in the previous edition of the competition, held in 2023, have been drawn in Pool C alongside Germany, Ireland, and Namibia. The Dutch girls are the two-time defending champions, having won the Women's FIH Junior Hockey World Cup five times in total. India qualified for the tournament after winning the 2024 Junior Women's Hockey Asia Cup.Fast and fearsome India international Sunelita Toppo, who has been a trailblazer for the Indian senior women's team, spearheads a formidable midfield comprising Sakshi Rana, Ishika, captain Jyoti Singh, Khaidem Shileima Chanu, and Binima Dhan.Nidhi and Rani Minz will guard the Indian citadel with the able assistance of a defensive unit that includes Manisha, Lalthanlualangi, Sakshi Shukla, Puja Sahoo and Nandini.Sonam, Purnima Yadav, Kanika Siwach, Hina Bano, and Sukhveer Kaur have been entrusted with duties in the Indian forward line.In addition to the 18 regulars, two alternate players, Priyanka Yadav and Parwati Topno, have been picked as alternates. Former India international Tushar Khandker will coach the girls in Santiago."The girls are motivated to perform at their best at Women's FIH Junior Hockey World Cup" - coach Tushar KhandkerSunelita Toppo is expected to play a crucial role for her team in the Junior Hockey World Cup - Source: GettyCoach Tushar Khandker, a member of India's bronze-medal-winning team at the 2010 Asian Games, stated that the girls have undergone a "rigorous training phase.""I am very happy with the squad and the way they are playing at this moment. My main principle is discipline in Hockey and I have kept that in focus while building this squad," he was quoted as saying by Hockey India."We have gone through a rigorous training phase and have worked hard on our defensive structure and finishing inside the opponent’s scoring area. The girls have shown immense improvement and maturity in these past few months,” Tushar Khandker stressed.The Indian girls will begin their Junior Hockey World Cup campaign against Namibia on December 1. The Jyoti Singh-led side will then face off against Germany on December 3 before playing Ireland on December 5.The pool stages of the Women's FIH Junior Hockey World Cup competition will conclude on December 6, which will be followed by the secondary stages and knockout rounds.Back in 2013, Navneet Kaur scored the winning goal for the Indian girls in their bronze-medal game of the Junior World Cup in a squad that boasted of names like Deep Grace Ekka, captain Sushila Chanu, Monika Malik, Vandana Kataria, and the legendary Rani Rampal.