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  The Indian women’s hockey team has had little trouble at the Women's Asian Champions Trophy here so far but the real challenge will begin on Monday when it takes on recently-crowned Asian Games champion China It will not just be a grudge match but also a chance for India   to reassert its status as the top-ranked side in the competition. With Sunday being a rest day, the Indians – barring the goalkeepers -- preferred to rest and recover, knowing well that with the relatively easier games out of the way, the team would need to step up, both physically and tactically, against the tougher opponents lined up here on. “We know we can do much better than what we played against China in the Asian Games, now it’s just a matter of doing it. It’s like getting it out of the mind and getting into the field. The big disappointment for me was that we didn’t play our game (in Hangzhou),” coach Janneke Schopman declared ahead of the face-off. China is confident, they know they hav...

The Indian women’s hockey team kicked off their Women’s Asian Champions Trophy hockey 2023 campaign with a solid 7-1 win over Thailand in their first tournament game 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 started the match with aggressive intent, 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 scored with a powerful and precisely placed shot to give the hosts an early 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 calmly directed the ball into the goal after it was deflected by Thailand’s ...

Less than a month ago, the Indian women’s hockey team ended a disappointing third at the Asian Games, getting a medal but forcing a reset of the team’s plans over its Paris Olympics ambitions and qualification. On Friday, the players will be hoping for a reset to their performance as well when they take on Thailand on the opening day of the Asian Champions Trophy here, going back to the drawing board for the tough road ahead. At the ACT, at least three of the six participating teams – Japan and Korea being the other two -- will be keen to get back some momentum before the Olympic qualifiers in January. Winning the title will be huge for the side, which rarely gets to play in front of the home crowd, but more importantly, it might give coach Janneke Schopman and captain Savita Punia enough pointers to be ready for the qualifiers in two months’ time. India has retained the Asiad squad barring two – experienced Sushila Chanu is injured and youngster Vaishnavi Phalke is in reserves, making...