Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023: India kickstart campaign with handsome win over Thailand

Local star Sangita Kumari scored a hat-trick.

The Indian women’s hockey team kicked off their Women's Asian Champions Trophy 2023 campaign in emphatic fashion as they defeated Thailand 7-1 in their first game of the tournament in Ranchi, Jharkhand on Friday.

Monika (7’), Salima Tete (15’), Sangita Kumari (29’, 45’, 45’), Deepika (40’), and Lalremsiami (52’) were the goalscorers for India, while Supansa Samanso (22') netted a solitary goal for Thailand.

As anticipated, India initiated the match with an offensive approach, coming close to an early goal when Lalremsiami found herself in a scoring opportunity and executed a no-look reverse shot, narrowly missing the target. Just a minute later, Monika (7') secured a goal with a powerful and precisely placed shot, granting Team India a well-deserved lead.

Even after being in front, India didn't let up the pressure on Thailand, resulting in two penalty corners within a short time frame. The home side capitalized on the second one, as Salima Tete (15') calmly directed the ball into the goal after it was deflected by Thailand's goalkeeper. The first quarter concluded with India having a 2-0 lead.

With the focus on staging a comeback, Thailand commenced the second quarter with an aggressive approach, making numerous entries into the circle. Their efforts bore fruit when Supansa Samanso (22') netted a goal from a penalty corner, narrowing the deficit.

However, India maintained their offensive momentum and were quick to respond as they extended their lead when Sangita Kumari found herself in a perfect position (29') to slot the ball into the net following a deflection by Thailand's goalkeeper. The remainder of the second quarter witnessed no more goals, as India entered the halftime break with a 3-1 advantage.

In the third quarter, the Indian team displayed their relentless desire to increase their goal tally by consistently penetrating the circle, thereby exerting pressure on Thailand and inducing mistakes. This strategy proved effective when Deepika (40') skillfully found the back of the net after receiving a splendid scoop pass from Vandana Katariya that split Thailand's defense.

India's dynamic hockey continued to yield results as Sangita Kumari (45', 45') swiftly scored two more field goals within a minute, securing her hat-trick and extending India's lead to 6-1 by the conclusion of the penultimate quarter.

However, the excitement didn't end there, as Lalremsiami (52') also managed to score in the fourth and final quarter, sealing India's impressive 7-1 triumph over Thailand.

India will next take on Malaysia in their second encounter of the tournament on 28th October at 20:30 hrs IST.