2022 CWG: Indian women's hockey team beats Wales 3-1
India women's hockey team extended their win streak as they bested Wales by 3-1 in their second match of the 2022 Commonwealth Games on Saturday. India have leapfrogged to the top of Pool A with six points from two matches. The Women in Blue thrashed Ghana 5-0 in their opening match in the global event. India will now face England on Tuesday. Here's more.
How did the match pan out?
India exhibited a hostile display as they garnered a penalty corner in the first minute. Vandana Katariya (26') gave India a 1-0 lead. Gurjit Kaur (28') upped the score-line 2-0 from a penalty corner. Wales's Xenna Hughes (45') pulled one back in the third quarter. Katariya (48') shone again as she deflected Monika Malik's attempt from the penalty corner one-off.
India Women scripted history in 2021
In 2021, India missed out on securing their first-ever Olympics medal in women's hockey. India lost 3-4 to Great Britain in the bronze medal match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Although Kaur helped India make a comeback in the second quarter, they lost the lead eventually. It was India's best run in women's hockey at an Olympics since the 1980 edition.
India's campaign at Tokyo Games
The 1980 Moscow Olympics saw the inaugural women's hockey tournament. This was the India women's only campaign in hockey till they qualified for the Rio 2016 Olympics (finished sixth). The Indian women's side finished fourth at the Tokyo Games last year.
What about India's run at CWG?
The Indian women's hockey side has not won a medal at the Commonwealth Games in the last 16 years. Their last medal at CWG came in 2006 (silver in Melbourne). They had lost 0-1 to Australia in the final. India won their only other medal at the Games in 2002 (gold in Manchester) when they overcame England in the final.
