New Delhi, December 3 (IANS). The Indian women’s handball team began its journey in the 20th Asian Women’s Handball Championship 2024 on Tuesday with a hard-fought 31-28 win against Hong Kong thanks to brilliant play from Bhavana Sharma and Manika.
This championship, presented by the World Handball League and organized by the Asian Handball Federation, is being hosted by India for the first time. The championship will be held at Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi from 3 to 10 December.
Amid loud chants of ‘Chak De India’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, India made a positive start to the match. She scored her first goal of the tournament through Priyanka Thakur who was instrumental in India’s historic victory at the 2022 Asian Women’s Junior Handball Championship. Moments later, veteran player Manika opened her account, putting India in a strong position.
Amidst the fast and accurate attacks, there were also moments when India showed its strong defence, which remained firm even under the onslaught of Hong Kong. Captain Diksha Kumari, a SAFF Games gold medallist, played a key role by stopping three opposition penalties within the first 30-minute period, giving India a 16-10 lead at half-time.
Hong Kong stepped up their game after the break, changing their tactics to gain maximum attacking advantage with each passing moment. However, India showed strength in defense and exploited late counter-attacking opportunities with great efficiency to keep their opponents at bay. India ultimately recorded a resounding victory, with Bhavana adding Player of the Match honors to her haul of best player accolades at the Junior Championships.
Earlier, Kazakhstan made a winning start to the tournament by defeating China 28-26. Goalkeeper Zhannat Aitenova helped her team achieve victory by thwarting every Chinese attempt. In the second match, Japan defeated Iran 34–14 thanks to a stellar performance from center back Kaho Nakayama.
Defending champions South Korea faced Singapore in the final match of the day, taking a significant lead over their opponents. With strong defense and a powerful wing attack, South Korea won with a score of 47–5. Winger Jeon Jeon received the Player of the Match award.
Taking their win forward, India will look to reach the semi-finals of the Asian Women’s Handball Championship for the first time and then look to play in the 2025 World Women’s Handball Championship to be held in Germany and the Netherlands. India will now play Iran on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Hong Kong will face Japan, China will face Singapore and Kazakhstan will face South Korea.
–IANS
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