Dragflicker Gurjit Kaur scored five goals to lead the Indian Women’s Hockey team to a 13-0 victory against Thailand in their opening game at the Donghae Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2021.
Gurjit scored India’s first goal in the second minute of the encounter after Thailand was penalised for a foul in their defensive third.
Thailand was placed on the back foot right away after conceding an early goal, and Vandana Katariya, the only Indian woman to achieve a hat-trick in the Olympics, scored the second goal five minutes later.
By the end of the first quarter, Lilima Minz had added another field goal, while Gurjit Kaur and Jyoti had scored two more penalty corners in the 14th and 15th minutes, giving India a 5-0 advantage.
The second quarter began similarly, with India controlling the majority of possession and leaving no opportunity for Thailand to pose a threat. Rajwinder Kaur, who made her International debut today, scored a field goal in the 16th minute, Gurjit scored her third goal in the 24th minute, and Lilima scored another goal from a PC in the 24th minute. The Indian squad annihilated the Thai defence by scoring another PC in the 25th minute through Gurjit, giving India a commanding 9-0 advantage at the half.
Monika got her stick on a long pass inside the circle in the 55th minute and redirected the ball into the back of the nets, extending India’s advantage by another goal. Gurjit Kaur added the 13th goal for India three minutes later, scoring her fifth goal of the game from a late penalty corner.
This was the first match for India’s women’s team after their historic fourth-place performance in the Tokyo Olympics. India was led by experienced goalie Savita in the absence of Captain Rani, who was rested from the event.
On the other hand, the Asian Hockey Federation already stated that the Indian Women’s Team would be unable to face Malaysia on December 6th because to covid-related difficulties.
