FIH Pro League: India beat China 2-1, will face Netherlands next

FIH Pro League: India beat China 2-1 (Pic Credit: Hockey India)

The Indian women's hockey team continued their terrific run as they outclassed China 2-1 in the FIH Pro League 2021/22 at the Sultan Qaboos Complex in Muscat, Oman on February 1.

Earlier on Monday (January 31), the Indian women’s hockey team kickstarted their debut campaign in the FIH Pro League 2021/22 with a solid 7-1 win over China. Drag flick specialist Gurjit Kaur struck twice as the Women in Blue climbed to the top spot in the points table with six points, tied alongside the Netherlands.

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India started the match by making quick moves to bypass China's midfield. They went on to earn an early penalty corner in the third minute of the match. Gurjit Kaur's low, powerful flick gave the team an early break as the scoreboard read 1-0 in the first quarter.

India continued to press high in China's half as Vandana Katariya pulled up to score but her shot went wide of the goalpost. India kept possession for most of the first quarter, not allowing China to get through and maintaining their 1-0 lead.

A few minutes into the second quarter, China pressed high in India's circle but Nikki Pradhan defended well to clear the danger. India continued their dominant run as they invaded the Chinese defence, creating multiple scoring opportunities. They started the second half aggressively, with Sharmila Devi taking multiple shots as the game entered the third quarter.

China then made a smart move as Wang Shumin struck the ball inside the empty nets to get the equalizer in the 39th minute.

In the 49th minute, India received their second penalty corner of the fourth quarter, and this time, Gurjit Kaur converted to score her second goal of the match, giving India a 2-1 advantage.

China tried to get the ball back to get the equalizer. Unfortunately, they failed to break down the opposition's defence as India won the thrilling contest 2-1.

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