Birmingham, Aug 7: Skipper Savita Punia led from the front with a spectacular display as the Indian women’s hockey team overcame the stopwatch controversy to beat New Zealand 2-1 in shootout and win the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games here Sunday.
This is the team’s first medal at CWG in 16 years.
Leading 1-0, India conceded a penalty corner with less than 30 seconds to go for the final hooter, as the match went into shootout after Olivia Merry’s equaliser. In regulation time, India got the lead through Salima Tete in the 29th minute.
In the shootout on Sunday, India captain and goalkeeper Savita showed her class, pulling off three spectacular saves to give her side its third CWG medal.
After Megan Hull put New Zealand ahead, an agile Savita denied Rose Tynan, Katie Doar and Olivia Shanon, while Sonika and Navneet scored for India to register a famous win.
“We knew it wouldn’t be easy, so before we came, we worked every minute and every second. I am so proud. We fought as a team,” Savita said.
India gained the tempo as the match progressed and built their attacks using both the flanks.
But it was New Zealand who came close to taking the lead in the first quarter, in the form of a penalty corner which was well defended by the Indians.
In the 26th minute, New Zealand came tantalisingly close to taking the lead from a counter attack.
India finally broke the New Zealand defence a minute from half time through Salima, who scored off a rebound with a reverse hit after Navneet Kaur’s initial shot was saved by the opposition goalie.
Minutes later, excellent work by Navneet and Neha Goyal set it up for Sonika, who just had to get her stick on the ball, but failed.
Merry seemed to have equalised for New Zealand in the 43rd minute against the run of play, but the goal was disallowed after India went for the referral, claiming that the free hit wasn’t taken from the 5m line.
The Indians lived dangerously in the final quarter. India got three penalty corners in succession in the 52nd minute but Gurjit Kaur failed to get past New Zealand custodian Grace O’Hanlon.
With two-and-half minutes remaining, Lalremisiami got an unnecessary yellow card, reducing her side to 10 players.
The Kiwis took advantage and secured a penalty corner with seconds from the hooter, which resulted in a penalty stroke, as Navneet deliberately kicked the goal-bound ball.
Merry stepped up and foxed Savita to draw level and take the match into shoot-out. (PTI)
