Indian players celebrate after scoring a goal against China in the FIH World Cup. (Pic credit: Hockey India)
NEW DELHI: India began their Women’s FIH Hockey World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Paris Olympics silver medallists China on Sunday, twice taking the lead before being forced to settle for a point at the Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, Netherlands.
The pressure eventually told in the dying seconds of the first quarter. Navneet Kaur gave India an early lead before Zhang Ying equalised from a penalty stroke in the dying seconds of the opening quarter. Deepika then restored India’s advantage through a penalty corner in the second quarter, but Ma Ning levelled the contest in the third as China took control of proceedings. China dominated large periods of the second half and came close to completing the comeback, particularly in the closing stages. India, however, managed to withstand the pressure and secure a valuable point against the highest-ranked side in Pool D. Their early pressure was rewarded in the eighth minute when Navneet scored from the top of the circle. India had been building promising moves and were rewarded for their positive approach as Navneet reacted quickest to put them ahead. Shilpi was penalised for a push inside the circle, prompting India to review the decision as they believed she had been pushed by Zhong Jiaqi. The TV umpire upheld the on-field call, leaving India without their review. With the game entering its final stages, China earned another penalty corner and had a golden opportunity to complete the comeback. The resulting strike, however, went just wide of the goal, allowing India to breathe a huge sigh of relief. India finally produced a strong attacking spell late in the game, shifting play into the Chinese half and putting their defence under pressure. Lalremsiami also came close to restoring India’s lead when she failed to connect with a ball that rolled across the face of the Chinese goal.