Indian women create history by winning country's first ever bronze medal in junior hockey World Cup, edge out England 3-2 on penalties.
Indian hockey has finally something to cheer about. And it’s not the men but the girls who have made their sticks talk and created history by winning India’s first ever bronze medal in the Junior Women Hockey World Cup. India edged out England 3-2 on penalties in Germany on Sunday. Reigning champions Netherlands beat Argentina 4-2, also on penalties, to clinch the cup.
Eighteen-year-old Rani proved her worth as India’s vice-captain, scoring India’s only goal in regulation time – which ended 1-1 – and then finding the net twice in the shootouts. Navneet Kaur’s strike got India a 3-2 lead and when England’s Anna Toman missed the next shot, it secured the memorable victory.
Interestingly, goalkeeper Bigan Soy stepped out for the first time in the entire tournament to save India’s den in the shootouts.
Coach Neil Hawgood was obviously a happy man, “It means a lot to our kids’ psychology that they can actually win a medal. They have never been in those games before. Our goalkeeper Bigan Soy, who got to play a minute in the whole tournament, did a great job.”
It may be recalled that the Indian girls defied all odds to beat some top teams, none less than New Zealand, Russia and Spain after losing their opening tie to Australia. And according to Harbinder Singh, one of the teams’ selectors, the win against New Zealand changed it all for the girls.
“After the loss to Australia, there was a lot of pep talk by the coach and support staff,” Singh said. “The way the entire team regrouped after the opening loss was commendable, and once they got into the winning streak, their team spirit rose further and they never looked back.”
Another reason why these girls punched above their weight was that around seven from the squad were also part of the senior women’s team for the FIH World League Round 3 in Europe.
“The experience the girls got from playing against the senior teams in Europe made a lot of difference in terms of their own play and planning and strategies,” Singh said.
“Look, India has had very less podium finishes and we defeated some very high-level teams in the competition. The entire team, coach and the support staff deserve maximum praise for this,” he added.
Hockey India secretary Narendra Batra announced that the entire team and coach will be rewarded with Rs 1 lakh each, while the support staff will get Rs 50,000 each.
“People have stopped expecting anything from Indian hockey and we haven’t won anything either lately. And if the turnaround starts from the junior level, then it’s nothing like it,” Batra told dna.
Rani’s words summed up the mood, “This is our first ever medal in a Junior World Cup, now we will celebrate.”
Indeed, they deserve to!
Source : dnaindia.com
Indian hockey has finally something to cheer about. And it’s not the men but the girls who have made their sticks talk and created history by winning India’s first ever bronze medal in the Junior Women Hockey World Cup. India edged out England 3-2 on penalties in Germany on Sunday. Reigning champions Netherlands beat Argentina 4-2, also on penalties, to clinch the cup.
Eighteen-year-old Rani proved her worth as India’s vice-captain, scoring India’s only goal in regulation time – which ended 1-1 – and then finding the net twice in the shootouts. Navneet Kaur’s strike got India a 3-2 lead and when England’s Anna Toman missed the next shot, it secured the memorable victory.
Interestingly, goalkeeper Bigan Soy stepped out for the first time in the entire tournament to save India’s den in the shootouts.
Coach Neil Hawgood was obviously a happy man, “It means a lot to our kids’ psychology that they can actually win a medal. They have never been in those games before. Our goalkeeper Bigan Soy, who got to play a minute in the whole tournament, did a great job.”
It may be recalled that the Indian girls defied all odds to beat some top teams, none less than New Zealand, Russia and Spain after losing their opening tie to Australia. And according to Harbinder Singh, one of the teams’ selectors, the win against New Zealand changed it all for the girls.
“After the loss to Australia, there was a lot of pep talk by the coach and support staff,” Singh said. “The way the entire team regrouped after the opening loss was commendable, and once they got into the winning streak, their team spirit rose further and they never looked back.”
Another reason why these girls punched above their weight was that around seven from the squad were also part of the senior women’s team for the FIH World League Round 3 in Europe.
“The experience the girls got from playing against the senior teams in Europe made a lot of difference in terms of their own play and planning and strategies,” Singh said.
“Look, India has had very less podium finishes and we defeated some very high-level teams in the competition. The entire team, coach and the support staff deserve maximum praise for this,” he added.
Hockey India secretary Narendra Batra announced that the entire team and coach will be rewarded with Rs 1 lakh each, while the support staff will get Rs 50,000 each.
“People have stopped expecting anything from Indian hockey and we haven’t won anything either lately. And if the turnaround starts from the junior level, then it’s nothing like it,” Batra told dna.
Rani’s words summed up the mood, “This is our first ever medal in a Junior World Cup, now we will celebrate.”
Indeed, they deserve to!
Source : dnaindia.com
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