Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023: Sangita Kumari's hat-trick helps India beat Thailand 7-1 in the opening match

Indian Women's Hockey team started the Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023 on a great note as they defeated Thailand by 7-1 in the opening game in Jharkhand. Sangita Kumari scored a hat-trick for the defending champions as they cruised through the Thailand team on Friday.

As expected, India began the match with an aggressive approach, coming close to an early goal when Lalremsiami had a scoring opportunity and attempted a no-look reverse shot, narrowly missing the target. But, Just a minute later, Monika (7') did not miss the target and secured a goal with a powerful shot, giving Team India a well-deserved lead.

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However, after taking the lead, India did not stop applying pressure on Thailand, resulting in two penalty corners in quick succession. Salima Tete (15') calmly directed the ball into the goal after from the second penalty corner. The first quarter ended with India leading 2-0.

Thailand tried to make a comeback, starting the second quarter with an aggressive approach, making multiple entries into the final circle. Their efforts paid off when Supansa Samanso (22') scored a goal from a penalty corner, reducing the deficit to 2-1.

However, India maintained their offensive momentum and responded quickly by extending their lead when Sangita Kumari (29') found herself in a perfect position to slot the ball into the net after a deflection by Thailand's goalkeeper.

The rest of the second quarter saw no more goals, and India entered halftime with a 3-1 advantage.

In the third quarter, the Indian team demonstrated their unwavering determination to increase their goal tally by consistently penetrating the circle, putting pressure on Thailand and forcing mistakes.

This strategy proved effective when Deepika (40') skillfully found the goal after receiving a splendid scoop pass from Vandana Katariya, breaking Thailand's defence.

India's dynamic hockey continued to pay off as Sangita Kumari (45', 45') quickly scored two more field goals within a minute, securing her hat-trick and extending India's lead to 6-1 by the end of the third quarter.

India kept on scoring as Lalremsiami (52') also managed to score in the fourth and final quarter, sealing India's impressive 7-1 victory over Thailand.

India's next match will be against Malaysia in their second tournament encounter on October 28th at 20:30hrs IST.