Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023: India and Japan Secure Consecutive Wins, China Opens Its Account

Ranchi, October 28: The Indian women's hockey team continued their excellent performance at the Marang Gomke Jaypal Singh Munda AstroTurf Hockey Stadium here on Saturday, securing their consecutive second victory at the Jharkhand Women's Asian Champions Trophy Ranchi 2023. The host team, India, defeated Thailand 7-1 in their first match and then emerged victorious against Malaysia with a scoreline of 5-0 in their second match.
The Indian women's hockey team made a fantastic start in the competition, taking a 2-0 lead with Vandana Katariya's goals in the seventh minute and 21st minute. The team extended their lead to 3-0 with a field goal by Sangeeta Kumari in the 28th minute. Lalremsiami added another goal in the 28th minute, making it 4-0 in favor of the host team. Jyoti scored a field goal in the 38th minute, securing a 5-0 lead for India. Although no goals were scored in the final quarter, India managed to win the match comfortably, earning full points with a significant margin.
In the first match of the day, Japan defeated Korea 4-0, marking their consecutive second win in the tournament. For the Japanese team, Emi Kobayashi scored in the seventh minute, captain Yuri Nagai in the 15th minute, Miyu Hasegawa in the 19th minute, and Meimei Toriyama in the 49th minute.
In the second match, China registered their first win by defeating Thailand 6-0. This was Thailand's second consecutive loss after their 7-1 defeat against host India in the opening match. China's Zhang Jiayaki scored a hat-trick, finding the back of the net in the 10th, 42nd, and 41st minutes. Besides Jiayaki, Ning scored in the 30th minute, captain Ouyu Jia in the 50th minute, and Den Wen in the 57th minute.
Six teams are participating in this tournament, including host India, China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand. The matches are played on a round-robin league basis, and the top 4 teams will advance to the semifinals. India is vying for the championship title for the first time since 2016, having settled for the silver medal in the 2013 and 2018 finals.