The Indian women’s hockey team suffered a 3-2 loss to Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists Great Britain in their second FIH Pro League 2023-24 match of the London leg on Sunday.
A couple of quick goals from Charlotte Watson (5’, 6’) in the first quarter and a late strike from Isabelle Petter (57’) helped sixth-ranked Great Britain win against world No. 9 India. Navneet Kaur (34’) and Sharmila Devi (56’) got on the scoresheet for India.
India are currently placed seventh in the FIH Pro League points table. They have won two of their 14 matches so far and have lost on 11 occasions, including six in a row.
The Indian women’s hockey team began the first quarter by dominating possession and putting pressure on the hosts. However, it was Great Britain who took the lead against the run of play thanks to Charlotte Watson finding the back of the net from a penalty stroke.
She doubled the hosts’ lead just a minute later from close range and put India firmly on the back foot. Great Britain defended well for the rest of the half and went into the mid-game break with a 2-0 lead.
India stepped up the attack in the third quarter and their efforts paid off through Navneet Kaur, who pulled one back after a clinical build-up.
The fourth quarter proved to be intense for both sides as India forced an equaliser through Sharmila Devi in the 56th minute. However, Great Britain bounced back and responded by taking the lead again in the following minute. This time, Isabelle Petter got on the scoresheet from a penalty corner.
Despite India orchestrating a few more attacking moves in the final minutes, they failed to draw level and the hockey contest ended 3-2 in the hosts’ favour.
India will take on Germany next in the FIH Pro League on Saturday. The last time these two sides met each other, it ended in a 3-1 defeat for India.