Asian Champions Trophy: Gurjit Kaur scores 5 as India thump Thailand 13-0
December 5, 2021
Drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur scored five goals in India’s emphatic 13-0 win over Thailand in their first game at the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2021 in Donghae.
Gurjit gave India the lead in the 2nd minute of the match after an infringement from Thailand in their defensive third awarded India a penalty stroke.
Gurjit, who starred for India with four goals at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, put the ball in the back of the nets to give India a 1-0 lead. Conceding an early goal put Thailand on the back foot straight away, and Vandana Katariya, the only Indian women’s player to score a hat-trick at the Olympics, scored the second goal five minutes later.
By the time the first quarter ended, Lilima Minz added another field goal in the 14th minute, while Gurjit Kaur and Jyoti scored two more from penalty corners in the 14th and 15th minute, giving India a 5-0 lead.
The second quarter started much the same way as India kept most of the possession giving no room to Thailand to cause any danger. Within the first minute of Q2, Rajwinder Kaur, making her International debut, scored a field goal in the 16th minute, and in the 24th minute. Gurjit scored her hat-trick and Lilima scored another from a penalty corner also in the 24th minute. Gurjit scored through another penalty corner in the 25th minute, giving India a massive 9-0 lead at the end of the second quarter.
In the second half, India dominated by continuing to make threatening circle penetrations from the left flank. But Thailand dug in deep and defended well for the first six minutes in the third quarter. But Jyoti broke the threshold, scoring another field goal in the 36th minute to exceed India’s lead by 10 goals.
A defensive error four minutes later from Thailand gave India another Penalty Corner, but this time Gurjit’s powerful flick was deflected by the opposition. A well-constructed move from the middle late in the 43rd minute caught Thailand’s defence napping as Sonika struck in her first goal in the match.
In the 55th minute, Monika managed to get her stick on a long pass inside the circle, as she deflected the ball into the back of the nets to exceed India’s lead by another goal. Three minutes later, Gurjit Kaur scored her fifth goal in the match from a late penalty corner, adding in the 13th goal for India.
It was India Women’s team’s first match since the historic fourth-place finish at the Tokyo Olympics.
Indian team’s next match against Malaysia, scheduled to be played on December 6 will not be played due to covid-related issues.
