Asian Games hockey: Indian women look to end Chinese domination

The last time India and China played each other in the Asian Games in 2023, the latter won 4-0, its biggest win on this stage. On Friday, when the two teams face off again in the final here, India will have a chance to not only avenge the defeat but also prove that the gap between the two sides is well and truly closing.

The last time India beat China in a major competition was at the 2024 Asian Champions Trophy back home. That was a largely inexperienced Chinese side, in transition after the high of Paris Olympics silver. Since then, however, the two sides have faced off five times, China winning four of those and the last being a 2-2 draw in the recent World Cup.

While ranking and recent history make China favourite to retain the title, India’s performances in the past six months including the World Cup make the result less than obvious. The Indian girls have slowly been accumulating wins under their belt, starting with the Nations Cup and the World Cup qualifiers.

The Indian attack has been finding ways to score even when the penalty corners haven’t worked. Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami and Sakshi Rana have worked hard with constant support from Navneet Kaur and captain Salima Tete. Goalkeeper Bichu Devi has grown out of Savita Punia’s shadows, the two together have been bulwarks of Indian defence. A win will help the team clinch the Asian Games gold for only the second time since 1982, when women’s hockey made its debut and was played on a round-robin format.

Match starts at 3.30 p.m. IST