National Games Looking for their second bronze medal this year after the senior women’s nationals in Lucknow, Jharkhand were good in the second quarter, but succumbed to the better play of their rivals.
“The credit goes to the players who were disheartened after the 1-2 defeat in the semifinal to Punjab, but they have made up and we are going home with a medal,” said Raina Yadav, manager of the team.
“It is an amazing win and we thank the MP Sports Minister Yashodhara Raje who is the person behind this success. When she was the minister she made changes for the betterment of women’s hockey and the girls have reaped the fruits,,” said coach Paramjit Singh.
Madhya Pradesh made their intentions clear, striking twice in the first 15 minutes of game. Manisha Chauhan and Jyoti Singh did most of the spade work up front. They converted their first penalty and later struck with a field goal during this period. This left the Jharkhand defence in disarray. There was a fight back by the Bigan Soy-coached Jharkhand in the second quarter, but it was only time they were in the match. As the game went along, their spirit diminished and the hat-trick by Aishawarya put them off track.
“We were left wanting in many departments in the last match, and it has been a learning process. We made amends and it paid off, said jubiliant Madhya Pradesh skipper Ishika Chaudhary.
Rani Rampal’s strike turned out be the match winner in a thrilling women’s final against arch rivals Punjab.
The India skipper, who had scored five goals against Uttar Pradesh in the semi-final, netted in the 30th minute to regain the title they had lost to the same team in Kerala in 2015.
Hockey Results
Women (Bronze)
Madhya Pradesh: 5 bt Jharkhand: 2
(Half-time) 2-0.
Men
Maharashtra: 2 bt Haryana: 2 (tie-breaker 5-4). HT: 0-1: FT: 2-2
Women (gold)
Haryana: 1 bt Punjab: 0
(HT: 1-0)
Men
Karnataka 2 bt Uttar Pradesh 2 ( tie-breaker 5-4)
HT: 1-0; FT: 2-2
Tie-breaker: 5-4
The workload of Indian bowlers has become a hot topic after Jasprit Bumrah sustained an…
Jasprit Bumrah delivered a sensational performance in the Melbourne Test, earning high praise from Adam…
A few days ago, Sunil Gavaskar went viral for his fiery commentary during the ongoing…
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif expressed his disagreement with the team management and selectors for…
India's head coach Gautam Gambhir and vice-captain Jasprit Bumrah were seen having a lengthy discussion…
An explosive report has revealed growing tension within the Indian cricket camp, with head coach…