Haryana’s Deepika stars as India beat China to retain hockey title

Before Deepika could even realise what she had done, the 20-year-old striker was swarmed by her ecstatic teammates. Moments earlier, she had found herself at the end of a desperate pass after a botched-up penalty corner.

Not letting the occasion overwhelm her, Deepika took her time before firing a tomahawk strike low into the far corner. The goal, coming in the 31st minute of an intense final, proved to be the difference between the two teams.

India defended their title by beating Paris Olympics silver medallist China 1-0 in the final of the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy at Rajgir in Bihar today.

For Deepika, and the Indian team, it was a perfect ending to a difficult year. In January, the team had helplessly watched its dream of participating in its third consecutive Olympics shatter after losing two close matches, to Germany (3-4 in shootout) and Japan (0-1), in the Paris Games qualifying tournament.

Haryana’s Deepika was part of the team in the Ranchi tournament, solely carrying the penalty corner responsibility on her young shoulders. Expectedly, she had crumbled under the pressure, scoring just two goals in the tournament. Within a year, Deepika has bounced back from the lowest point of her nascent career, showcasing her mental fortitude. The youngster from Hisar finished as the top-scorer in the tournament with 11 goals. While announcing herself on the international stage, Deepika has also proved to her family—which had wanted her to become a wrestler—that she belongs on the hockey field.

The latest triumph has also provided the perfect springboard for the Indian team, which is still in a rebuilding phase after touching nadir. The team’s performance would particularly be confidence-boosting for the players. India won seven matches in a row, conceding just two goals while scoring 29.

The victory, though, should be taken with a pinch of salt, considering that India was the second-highest-ranked team in the tournament, behind China. And even China fielded an inexperienced squad, bringing only three players from the team that finished second in the Paris Games.

Nevertheless, India’s performance would be reassuring for new coach Harendra Singh, who had called the tournament as the “start of our journey for mission 2026 World Cup and 2028 Olympics.” Having made the perfect start to their new journey, the India players beamed with joy as they hoisted the trophy atop the podium.