India is obvious favourites to win the ongoing Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey competition. Despite their results indicating that they are still in the process of rebuilding after losing out on qualification for the Paris Olympics. On Sunday showcased all of that, as the hosts got off to a slow start. Before finding their rhythm in the third quarter to defeat Japan 3-0. This gave India a fifth straight victory.
It helped them top the round-robin stage of the six-team tournament. Being played at the Bihar Sports University Hockey Stadium in Rajgir. Following Monday’s rest day, India will meet the Japanese in the semi-finals. A squad that can run but appears to be unable to compete with the continent’s elite sides. China, who are missing the majority of the players that helped them win the Olympic silver medal.
China surpassed Korea to finish second in the standings. They will face Malaysia in the other semi-finals. India, like in their 3-0 victory over China on Saturday, did not find their groove until after the halfway point. Despite frequent ventures into Japan’s hitting circle, the resulting penalty corners were not converted, and they even struggled to stop cleanly. Four PCs went unclaimed in the first two quarters.
Japan exposed India’s weaknesses
Is India’s win over Japan enough to justify confidence? The fact that Japan was unable to force a single penalty corner highlighted the one-sided nature of the match. India’s serves gained speed after that, as the patient rotation of the ball pushed the Japanese players forward, resulting in openings that were exploited. Deepika (47th, 48th) converted two penalty corners in rapid succession.
With the power of her drag-flick for the third beating the goalkeeper. rebounding off her glove to find the net. Japan emerged from their defensive shell in search of an equaliser, but India maintained their 1-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. It began with a penalty corner, which was retaken for the third time, and Deepika scored with a powerful low flick into the right post.
