New Delhi: India's women hockey team ended the country's wait of 13 years by winning its second Asia Cup title beating China in a nerve-wracking final on Sunday in Kakamigahara, Japan, and en route their return home, the champions shot a small video at the Hong Kong airport thanking the fans, Sports Authority of India and Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore for their support.
In a video posted by Hockey India on its official Twitter handle, skipper Rani Rampal huddled up with her team for a note of thanks.
Team India thank Sports Minister @Ra_THORe, @Media_SAI and @IndiaSports for their support after winning the 9th Women’s #AsiaCup2017. pic.twitter.com/ESkeaoLQbe
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) November 6, 2017
On Sunday, the final ended 1-1 in the regulation period of 60 minutes and then moved into penalty shootout that ended 4-4. The title was then decided in the sudden-death shootout, with India winning 5-4.
It was Harendra Singh's first assignment as coach of India's women hockey team, who remained undefeated through the tournament, winning six matches on the bounce, including a win over defending champions Japan in the semifinal and two wins over China - the highest-ranked team in Asia.
Earlier last month, India's men team also won the Asia Cup after a gap of 10 years in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Under their new coach Sjoerd Marijne, the men too lifted the trophy unbeaten and defeated Malaysia 2-1 in the final.
