India lost 30-32 to Iran in their second Group B match of the 20th Asian Women’s Handball Championship on Wednesday. The game’s quick start set the tone for a thrilling first half filled with tough challenges and spectacular finishes on both ends. During the action, India’s revolving goalkeepers, the experienced Nina Shil and captain Diksha Kumari, both gold medalists at the SAF Games, blocked attack after attack.
This ensured that the two sides went into the break-tied. Nina’s solid defense of her goal kept Iran at bay after the restart. This provided a steady platform for the Indian attackers to chip away at their opponents’ lead. Shuffling from side to side and making the best use of its pivot players. India opened up Iran’s backline multiple times and pushed the match to the wire before losing narrowly.
Shalini Thakur used her extensive experience at the highest level. This helped to tip-toe past a robust Iran defense and open the score for India with a spectacular finish. India will now aim to bounce back when they face Japan in their last group game of the competition on Friday. The competition, presented by the World Handball League and sponsored by the Asian Handball Federation, is being held in India for the first time.
Leadership Crisis in Indian Handball
The competition is scheduled for December 3-10 at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi. India faces Japan on Friday to reach the AWHC semi-finals and qualify for the 2025 World Women’s Handball Championship in Germany and the Netherlands. Meanwhile, Iran will play Hong Kong-CHN, Kazakhstan will face Singapore, and South Korea will face China. In the first match of the day, heavyweights China rebounded from their defeat to Kazakhstan.
Later, Japan continued their strong start to the competition with a 47-6 victory over Singapore, taking a crucial step towards the semi-finals. Reigning champions. South Korea faced Kazakhstan in the third match of the previous champions’ series. The two faced off before the imposing South Korea won 30-20. India is looking to beat the in-form Japanese in the forthcoming fixture.
