Hockey: India wipe out Malaysia 5-2 to claim the series

Kuala Lumpur: In the last match of the Malaysian Tour 2014, played at Kuala Lumpur today, India secured a 6-0 whitewash over Malaysia after winning the last match of the series by a margin of 5-2. The six match series against Malaysia was a part of the team’s groundwork for the Commonwealth Games 2014.

Indian Women, today, displayed a remarkably high level of game and defeated the hosts. The first goal came as early as in the 3rd minute of the match from the stick of Poonam Rani of India. No later, in the 14th minute, Sunita Lakra beautifully converted a penalty corner into a brilliant goal. Malaysia tried to reduce the margin in the 21st minute through a field goal. In the 28th minute,

Anuradha put the ball in the net closely followed by Ritushah Arya who scored two back to back field goals in the 34th and 35th minute of the match. This gave India a huge lead of 5-1 before the half time. In the second half, Malaysia scored their second goal in the 55th minute. Malaysia managed to create a couple of scoring opportunities in the dying minutes of the match but Indian defence restricted them from doing further damage. The final whistle of the match blew announcing a well deserved triumph for the Indian Women.

Team’s midfielder and Captain Ritu Rani seemed excited on the win. Commenting on the victory she said, “We have outperformed and swept the board against team Malaysia. I am extremely elated with the manner my team has performed all the way through - confident and consistent. The clean sweep has lifted our spirits to a new high. I am delighted we lived up to the expectations of our coaches, selectors and the people of our country.”

Congratulating the team on their grand finish, Narinder Batra, secretary general, Hockey India said, “A magnificent performance by our Women’s team has made us proud and has lived up to the expectations. With the kind of momentum the team has generated, we are certain that this is a good step forward in preparations for the Commonwealth Games 2014 to be held in Glasgow (Scotland). On behalf of Hockey India, I would like to congratulate the team and the coaches on their splendid performance and a spectacular 6-0 finish in the tournament.”

The Indian Women Hockey team is scheduled to arrive at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI-T3) at 9:25pm on 17th June 2014 (today).

Result of the day:

India –5 Poonam Rani (3 min), Sunita Lakra (14 min), Anuradha (28 min), Ritushah Arya (34 min and 35 min) Vs. Malaysia – 2.