Deepika strikes again, India beat China to defend ACT

NEW DELHI: Before the Asian Champions Trophy, chief coach Harendra Singh had promised that everyone will get to see a new version of the Indian women's hockey team in Rajgir.

- Sandip Sikdar

In his first tournament after returning to the post, his aim was to build a strong foundation, give a chance to the players who had lost confidence after not qualifying for the Paris Olympics and help rebuild towards Los Angeles 2028.

On Wednesday, Harendra achieved his target by winning the tournament beating China 1-0 in the final to retain the continental title and bag $10,000, awarded by the Asian Hockey Federation.

Once again it was Deepika Sehrawat, who took the top-scorer and Player-of-the-Tournament awards, who proved the difference. The forward scored her 11th goal of the tournament in the first minute after half-time, handing the hosts the ACT crown for the third time, after Singapore 2016 and Ranchi 2023.