India Defeats China 1-0 to Retain Asian Champions Trophy Title
In his first tournament since returning as head coach, Harendra Singh’s leadership was rewarded with a victory as India retained their Asian Champions Trophy title, defeating China 1-0 in the final on Wednesday. The match, held at Rajgir Hockey Stadium, saw India take home the trophy for the third time, alongside a $10,000 prize awarded by the Asian Hockey Federation.
Coach Harendra had promised a new version of the Indian women’s hockey team and aimed to rebuild after the disappointment of not qualifying for the Paris Olympics. With his focus on nurturing players’ confidence and laying the foundation for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, his strategy paid off as India triumphed in front of their home crowd.
Once again, Deepika Sehrawat was the standout player, earning both the Top Scorer and Player of the Tournament awards. She netted her 11th goal of the tournament in the opening minutes of the third quarter, securing the victory for India.
The match was a hard-fought contest, with both teams exchanging circle entries but failing to capitalize on early opportunities. In the second quarter, China had a penalty corner, but Indian goalkeeper Bichu Devi made an excellent save, denying China a lead. India had their chances as well, earning multiple penalty corners but failing to convert.
It was in the third quarter that India broke the deadlock. After a mis-trap in a penalty corner, the ball was passed to Deepika on the left of the circle, and she expertly found the bottom corner with a reverse shot, giving India a 1-0 lead.
China fought back, earning a penalty stroke late in the third quarter, but Deepika’s shot was saved by Chinese goalkeeper Ting Li. India held firm in defense as China ramped up their efforts in the final quarter, but the Indian defense remained resolute.
Following the victory, the Bihar Government announced a ₹10 lakh cash award for each player and Harendra Singh, with ₹5 lakh for the support staff. Hockey India also rewarded the players with ₹3 lakh each and ₹1.5 lakh for the support staff.
In the third-place match, Japan triumphed over Malaysia, winning 4-1.
