Hiroshima: Indian women’s hockey team capped their fine run by winning the FIH Women’s Series Finals Hiroshima 2019, beating hosts Japan 3-1 in the final here at the Hiroshima Hockey Stadium on Sunday.
India went ahead by an early goal from captain Rani in the third minute, but conceded an equaliser in the 11th minute as Japan’s Kanon Mori scored. A brace from Gurjit Kaur, scored in the 45th and 60th minutes, saw India register an emphatic victory. Currently ranked World No 9, India had already qualified for the FIH Olympic Qualifiers 2019 after securing a place in the final of the competition.
A fantastic start to the first quarter for India saw them take lead in third minute as captain Rani stepped up to score from her team’s first penalty corner. The Indian skipper struck the ball sweetly along the ground and beat the Japanese goalkeeper Akio Tanaka on her right side to give India a 1-0 advantage.
