The Indian Women’s Hockey Team kicked off their Women’s
Asian Champions Trophy 2023 campaign in emphatic fashion as they defeated
Thailand 7-1 in their first game of the tournament in Ranchi on Friday.
Monika (7’), Salima Tete (15’), Sangita Kumari (29’,
45’, 45’), Deepika (40’), and Lalremsiami (52’) were the goalscorers for India,
while Supansa Samanso (22’) netted a solitary goal for Thailand.
As anticipated, India initiated the match with an
offensive approach, coming close to an early goal when Lalremsiami found
herself in a scoring opportunity and executed a no-look reverse shot, narrowly
missing the target.
Just a minute later, Monika (7’) secured a goal with a
powerful and precisely placed shot, granting Team India a well-deserved lead.
Even after being in front, India didn’t let up the
pressure on Thailand, resulting in two penalty corners within a short time
frame. The home side capitalized on the second one, as Salima Tete (15’) calmly
directed the ball into the goal after it was deflected by Thailand’s
goalkeeper. The first quarter concluded with India having a 2-0 lead.
With the focus on staging a comeback, Thailand
commenced the second quarter with an aggressive approach, making numerous
entries into the circle.
Their efforts bore fruit when Supansa Samanso (22’)
netted a goal from a penalty corner, narrowing the deficit.
However, India maintained their offensive momentum and
were quick to respond as they extended their lead when Sangita Kumari found
herself in a perfect position (29’) to slot the ball into the net following a
deflection by Thailand’s goalkeeper.
The remainder of the second quarter witnessed no more
goals, as India entered the halftime break with a 3-1 advantage.
In the third quarter, the Indian team displayed their
relentless desire to increase their goal tally by consistently penetrating the
circle, thereby exerting pressure on Thailand and inducing mistakes.
This strategy proved effective when Deepika (40’)
skillfully found the back of the net after receiving a splendid scoop pass from
Vandana Katariya that split Thailand’s defence.
India’s dynamic hockey continued to yield results as
Sangita Kumari (45’, 45’) swiftly scored two more field goals within a minute,
securing her hat-trick and extending India’s lead to 6-1 by the conclusion of
the penultimate quarter.
However, the excitement didn’t end there, as
Lalremsiami (52’) also managed to score in the fourth and final quarter,
sealing India’s impressive 7-1 triumph over Thailand.
India will next take on Malaysia in their second
encounter of the tournament on 28th October at 20:30hrs IST.
ANI
