The Indian women's hockey team fell short against China, losing 2-3 in their first match of the Germany tour on Sunday.
Navneet Kaur scored twice (24', 45') while Chen Jiali (9'), Zhong Jiaqi (45') and Xu Yanan (51') found the net to secure their team's victory.
China capitalised on the opportunities while India lacked the cutting edge in front of goal. In the third minute, the Women in Blue got a penalty corner but their attempt was thwarted by China. Six minutes later, they conceded from another penalty corner as Jiali struck fiercely to pierce the Indian defence.
The second quarter started on the same note for India. They earned two penalty corners in quick successions but both opportunities went down the drain. However, in the 24th minute, Kaur was at hand to finish a well-rounded team move to put back India on level terms.
A strong fight back towards the end by India but we miss out by a narrow margin.
— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) July 16, 2023
🇮🇳 India 2-3 China 🇨🇳 #HockeyIndia #IndiaKaGame pic.twitter.com/KlBOlo4KM7
In the 45th minute, she scored again, which saw India lead for the first time in the match. However, it did not last for long as another China penalty corner, converted by Jiaqi, brought India's downfall.
The Asian giants found a spring in their foot after the equaliser and continued to attack with intent and purpose. Their perseverance led to the third goal as Xu Yuan scored the third of the night for her team.
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When will India get back to action?
India will face Germany on August 18 at 2:30 pm IST.
What is the schedule of the Indian women's hockey team in Germany?
| Date | Opposition | Time | Score |
| 16/7/2023 | China | 7:30 PM | 2-3 (L) |
| 18/7/2023 | Germany | 2:30 PM | |
| 19/7/2023 | Germany | 9:00 PM |
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