Women’s Asian Champions Trophy: Sharp and confident India proves too good for Malaysia
The Hindu
India put up a much better performance for a convincing 5-0 victory over Malaysia in its second outing at the Jharkand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey on Saturday. Even though penalty corner conversions continued to be a drag on the team’s overall performance, the Indian side was far more cohesive and sharp in the field than on Friday and it showed in the body language as well. The Indians were confident, the trapping was clean and there was more purpose to the attack, all brought together by the brilliance of player-of-the-match Vandana Katariya who struck two goals of her own and created the space and opportunities for more.
India put up a much better performance for a convincing 5-0 victory over Malaysia in its second outing at the Jharkand Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey here on Saturday.
Even though penalty corner conversions continued to be a drag on the team’s overall performance, the Indian side was far more cohesive and sharp in the field than on Friday and it showed in the body language as well.
The Indians were confident, the trapping was clean and there was more purpose to the attack, all brought together by the brilliance of player-of-the-match Vandana Katariya who struck two goals of her own and created the space and opportunities for more.
India started on a much stronger footing, earning back-to-back penalty corners in the sixth and seventh minutes, Vandana deflecting in the latter from the left for an early lead.
She made it 2-0 in a similar fashion, this time positioned on the right just in front of the far post in the 21st minute.
Two goals within a minute — local favourites Salima Tete and Sangita Kumari combined for a brilliant third and Lalremsiami made it 4-0 — meant India went into half time sitting pretty on top.
Malaysia, which stuck to a defensive game hoping for counter-attacking opportunities, found it impossible to break the Indian shackles or match the host’s pace.
Asian Games champion Avinash Sable opened his season in the 3000m steeple chase with a silver in the Portland Track Festival, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze event, in Oregon on Saturday. He clocked 8:21.85s. Asian champion Parul Chaudhary took the bronze in the women’s 3000m steeple chase in a season-best 9:31.38s. Former Asian bronze medallist Sanjivani Jadhav struck gold in the women’s 10,000m in 32:22.77s, a time which was a second off her personal best, while Seema was sixth in 32:55.91s.