Muscat : The Indian Women's Hockey Team finished as runners-up at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship in Muscat, Oman, after going down 2-4 to China in the Final on Saturday. India booked their place in the summit clash with a commanding 8-1 victory over Kazakhstan in the Semi-Final, according to a press release.
China made a strong start to the Final, taking the lead through Tongtong Lu in the opening minute. Kexin Tang doubled China's advantage in the 5th minute before Jiaxin Guo made it 3-0 a minute later. India responded after the break as Nousheen Naz found the back of the net in the 13th minute to reduce the deficit.
However, Chen Ge restored China's three-goal lead in the 19th minute. Pushpa Manjhi scored in the 20th minute to give India hope, but China held on to register a 4-2 victory and lift the title. Earlier in the Semi-Final, India produced a dominant display against Kazakhstan. Sandeepa Kumari opened the scoring in the 5th minute before Pushpa Manjhi struck in the 6th minute and added two more goals in the 8th minute to put India firmly in control.
Kazakhstan's Ayanat Mazhim scored in the 10th minute, but India continued to dictate the game. Captain Diya scored twice in the 13th and 16th minutes, while Shruti Kumari also found the net in the 16th minute. Nousheen Naz completed the scoring in the 20th minute as India sealed an emphatic 8-1 victory to book their place in the Final.
Recognising the team's outstanding performance, Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for each player of the Indian Women's Hockey Team and Rs 50,000 for each member of the support staff in recognition of their achievement at the championship. With their impressive run in Muscat, India have also secured qualification for the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup, marking another important milestone for the young team on the global stage.