The Indian women’s hockey team defeated China 2-1 in
an entertaining match, registering a hat-trick of victories in the Women’s
Asian Champions Trophy 2023.
Deepika (15’) and Salima Tete (26’) put India up in
the first half before China’s Zhong Jiaqi (41’) pulled one back in the third
quarter.
With this victory, the Indian women’s hockey team
preserved their unblemished record at the Asian Champions Trophy in Jharkhand,
winning three of three matches.
The opening quarter was a tense affair, with world No.
7 Bharat and China, ranked 10th in the world, matching each other in
practically every element of the game.
However, in the final minutes of the quarter, the
hosts upped the ante, and Sangita Kumari, the tournament’s leading scorer with
four goals, assisted Bharat in winning a penalty stroke after a goalmouth
scramble. Deepika scored Bharat’s first goal with a low shot to the right of
the custodian.
China, the 2023 Asian Games champions, attempted to
square the score in the second quarter and put pressure on the Indian team.
Nonetheless, Salima Tete’s tremendous tomahawk from the centre of the circle
extended Bharat’s lead in the 26th minute.
China ultimately equalised in the 41st minute with a
penalty corner. The ball was injected into the first battery before reaching
Zhong Jiaqi, who converted nicely.
In the fourth quarter, Bharat invested significant
resources on defence. However, Vandana Katariya received a yellow card for a
stick tackle, reducing Bharat to 10 women for the final seven minutes.
China gambled by substituting a field player for their
custodian in order to capitalise. However, the gamble did not pay off, as the
Indian defence held tough under pressure to secure a 2-1 victory.
ANI
