/sportzpoint/media/agency_attachments/5J7QNb4CjhIemgV0IYQL.png)
Follow Us/sportzpoint/media/post_banners/40dc7b116601699adc654b4010010161c41228fe632954a4d41aede907d3d701.jpeg)
The Indian women's hockey team has started their women's Asia cup 2022 journey under the leadership of Savita Punia.
/sportzpoint/media/post_attachments/72954853f9c6d5f144e3cdf000036f474b26ee28cbb033cc21b37a080ec33355.jpg)
The Indian women's hockey team has started their women's Asia cup 2022 journey under the leadership of Savita Punia. They made a victorious start to their campaign at the Women's Asia Cup with a 9-0 win against Malaysia. However, The Indian team lost 0-2 to Asian Games champion Japan in their second group A encounter on Sunday.
Japan's first goal landed India on the weak side, which happened in the second minute of the game. India took a while to omit the nervousness from the first quarter, but they improved in the second with an innovative approach. Whilst Japan looked dangerous in the 15th minute, the Indian defence stood firm to prevent the Japanese players from scoring any more goals.
Read also: Hockey Women's Asia Cup 2022: Full fixtures and schedule
Indian strikers Navneet Kaur, Sharmila Devi, Lalremsiami, took turns taking shots on goal. But they were unable to overcome the formidable Japanese defence. Especially Japanese goalkeeper Eika Nakamura, who deserves appreciation for making some breathtaking saves. India returned from the ten-minute half-time interval, determined to overturn the 0-1 disadvantage. Whilst India failed to nip the ball into the opponent's goal despite producing some promising circle intrusion, Japan's Saki Tanaka made no mistakes in scoring a goal.
The 42-minute goal coerced India and caused havoc. In the fourth quarter, a resurgent India fought back and gained as many as two PCs. Deep Grace and Gurjit Kaur, however, were unable to score. Hence, the game ended in a 0-2 loss.
The upcoming challenge
On Monday, India will encounter Singapore in their decisive pool encounter. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the competition semifinals, securing a World Cup berth for those that advance.
Indian women's hockey 18-member squad
- Goalkeepers: Savita Punia (captain), Rajani Etimarpu.
- Defenders: Deep Grace Ekka (vice-captain), Gurjit Kaur, Nikki Pradhan, Udita.
- Midfielders: Nisha, Sushila Chanu Pukhrambam, Monika, Neha, Salima Tete, Jyoti, Navjot Kaur.
- Forwards: Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami, Vandana Katariya, Mariana Kujur, Sharmila Devi
When and where to watch hockey Women's Asia Cup 2022
On the watch.hockey website, the tournament will be broadcasted live. All of the tournament's matches will be streamed exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar.