Women's Hockey: India Beat China 1-0, Defend Asian Championship Title

The Indian Women's Hockey Team emerged victorious in the Bihar Women’s Asian Champions Trophy Rajgir 2024, securing a 1-0 win over China in the final at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium on Wednesday. Despite a tight first half, India took control in the second half, with Deepika scoring the only goal of the match in the 31st minute to defend their Asian Champions Trophy title.

Following the triumph, Hockey India announced a reward of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. In a historic first, the Asian Hockey Federation also declared monetary rewards for podium finishers in the competition, with India receiving USD 10,000, China earning USD 7,000, and Japan securing USD 5,000.

The match began with both teams fiercely contesting each other, but no shots on goal were recorded in the opening quarter despite several circle entries. The intense battle continued into the second quarter, where China earned an early penalty corner. However, Indian goalkeeper Bichu Devi displayed remarkable reflexes, denying Jinzhuang Tan’s close-range attempt. India quickly responded with a penalty corner of their own, but Deepika’s drag flick was saved by Chinese goalkeeper Surong Wu. Despite trading more penalty corners, neither team managed to break the deadlock by the end of the first half.

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In the second half, India came out stronger, quickly earning a penalty corner. Navneet's pass to Deepika on the left wing set her up for a reverse shot that found the bottom right corner of the goal, giving India the lead. China mounted a counter-attack and had an opportunity to equalize when Deepika was awarded a penalty stroke, but her low shot was saved by Chinese goalkeeper Ting Li. 

The final quarter saw China pushing for an equalizer, but the Indian defence stood firm, effectively shutting down all Chinese efforts. India had another penalty corner in the dying minutes, but Sushila’s attempt was easily cleared by Surong Wu. With their solid defence and a determined attack, India secured a 1-0 victory, claiming their third Asian Champions Trophy title.

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