The Indian junior women’s hockey team made a strong start in the Women’s Asia Cup, cruising to a 13-1 victory over Bangladesh in their opening Pool A match.
Deepika opened the scoring in the 7th minute with a well-executed penalty corner (PC). India quickly doubled its lead in the 10th minute with another PC, this time cleverly converted by Manisha. In the 12th minute, Kanika Siwach added a field goal, putting India 3-0 ahead.
However, in the same minute, an infringement by India allowed Bangladesh a PC, which was successfully converted by Orpita Pal, reducing the deficit to 3-1. This goal did not shake India’s dominance, and it continued its relentless attacking play. Deepika scored again in the 20th minute with a fine field goal, followed by Mumtaz Khan, who extended India’s lead to 5-1 in the 27th minute as it went into the halftime break with a commanding advantage.
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In the second half, the Indian team maintained its attacking momentum. Mumtaz added another goal in the 32nd minute, and Beauty Dung Dung scored a fine field goal in the following minute to increase the lead to 7-1. Sakshi Rana joined the goal-scoring spree in the 43rd minute, further dismantling the Bangladesh defence.
The fourth quarter saw both Kanika and Mumtaz Khan complete their hat-tricks. Siwach scored twice in the 51st minute, while Mumtaz added another in the 53rd, making it 11-1. Deepika also completed her hat-trick with a quick field goal in the 55th minute. The onslaught continued as Mumtaz netted her fourth goal in the 58th minute, bringing India’s final score to 13-1.
India will face Malaysia in its next match on 9th December at 20:30 hrs IST.
The team is not only looking to defend its title here but also hoping to qualify directly for next year’s junior World Cup in Santiago, Chile. The four semifinalist will get automatic entry into the World Cup.
(With inputs from PTI)