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Ace striker Deepika played an instrumental role in helping India to achieve a back-to-back triumph in Asian Champions Trophy Hockey Tournament for women. She not only emerged as the top scorer of the tournament with 11 goals to her credit but also scored the decisive goal in the fight for title against Olympic Silver medallist China at Rajgir in Bihar. India with its second successive title emerged as the only unbeaten team in the prestigious six-nation event.

India first won the Asian Champions Trophy for women in 2016 and again in 2023. South Korea is the only other team to have won the title three times. This time the Koreans failed to make the last four rounds. China for the third time ended with a silver medal in the tournament.

Japan took the bronze defeating Malaysia 4-1 in the losing semi-finalists encounter. The Asian Hockey Federation announced cash awards for the medallist teams as India got US $10,000, China US $ 7,000 and Japan US $ 4000.

Hockey India, too, announced cash awards for all team members and its support staff.

Incidentally, it was the first success for the new Chief Coach of the Indian women’s hockey team, Harendra Singh, who recently gave up as Chief National Coach of the US Men’s hockey team to take up a new assignment at home. Harendra Singh has once again proved his credentials as a coach that delivers results. Before moving to the US, he had successfully groomed India Juniors to title triumph at home and also worked with the Indian men's team.

Indian women’s success has become all the more credible as they defeated China, the Olympic silver medallist, both in the pool games (3-0) and the summit clash (1-0). China had finished runners-up to the Netherlands in the Paris Olympic Games in August this year. Interestingly, the Netherlands had earned the distinction of becoming the only team to win both men's and women's titles in the same edition of the Olympic Games Hockey competition.

China was the only Asian team that had qualified for the Paris Olympic Hockey Tournament as India, after its fourth-position finish in the Tokyo Olympic Games 2020) failed to make it from the Olympic Qualifier held on its home grounds at Ranchi. The India girls, however, drew sweet consolation by winning the Asian Champions at Rajgir.

Incidentally, it is for the first time that an international Hockey tournament conducted under the aegis of the International Hockey Federation (FIH), was held on Bihar soil. Rajgir has been the latest edition to the international hockey centres in India.

Young striker Deepika was the star again with a fine reverse hit goal in the summit clash against China. India had beaten Japan 2-0 in the semi-finals while China overpowered Malaysia to make the gold medal round.

Unlike the earlier round-robin league game where India triumphed 3-0, the final turned out to be fierce and a closely fought encounter. India was unlucky to miss converting a penalty stroke in the second half as Deepika, who had scored earlier in the tournament from the dreaded spot failed to get past the Chinese custodian Li Tang.

It was neck and neck fight as both India and China made exciting circle penetrations but the deep defence of both sides was rock solid in the first two quarters. For India, 17-year-old Sunelita Toppo was brilliant with her dribbling and defence-splitting runs from both flanks.

Three minutes into the second quarter, China secured its first penalty corner of the match but India’s second goalkeeper Bichu Devi Kharibam made a terrific diving save to keep out Jinzhuang Tan’s attempt. In the next two minutes the Indians earned as many as four penalty corners but as has been the case in the tournament so far, they failed to utilise a single with Deepika taking most of the chances.

After the departure of drag-flicker Gurjit Kaur, penalty corner conversion has been a concern for India in the tournament as in the semi-final against Japan they managed 13 set pieces but failed to find the net even once. In the 23rd minute, it was India’s turn to concede another penalty corner but the first rusher defended bravely to deny the Chinese. Minutes later, skipper Salima Tete created a fine ball for Sharmila Devi whose first-time hit to the near post went wide as the deadlock continued at half-time.

India kept up the pressure on the Chinese defence and secured its fifth penalty corner with the first move after the change of ends. Deepika this time finally found the net with a reverse hit after building on from a miss-trap push. Eleven minutes after taking the lead, Deepika had a bright chance to increase her tally when India earned a penalty stroke for a deliberate push inside the circle. The Chinese goalkeeper Li Ting, however,  pulled off a stunning reflex save to deny the star Indian striker her second goal of the match and the 12th goal of the tournament.

Minutes later, Ting once again came to China’s rescue as she saved Sushila Chanu’s shot from India’s sixth penalty corner.

Trailing by just a solitary goal, the Chinese employed high-press hockey thereafter and also managed to breach inside the Indian circle on a few occasions but the home team's defence stood its ground well.