Mumbai: A different side to the Indian women’s hockey team was on display in the Asian Games on Sunday at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium.
So much so that this was the first match in this Asian Games in which India failed to score in the first quarter, despite having four penalty corners.
Sunelita Toppo scored a brace within three minutes (22nd and 24th min) while Lalremsiami (26th) and Rutuja Pisal (29th) chipped in to make it 5-0 at halftime. Nikki Pradhan, the seasoned defender with over 200 caps, scored a scruffy goal – her third senior international strike – to put India up 6-0 in the third quarter, before the team’s highest scorer in the competition, Deepika Sehrawat hammered home a drag-flick in the fourth quarter. Against Singapore though, the Indian attack, which had scored goals at will against lesser opponents, failed to show the killer instinct in front of goal. The second quarter was much better with captain Salima Tete opening the scoring in the 17th minute. The second half then was more like the opening quarter with the Indian attack again struggling to string together passes inside the shooting circle and wasting chances from penalty corners as Singapore defended with desperation.
