Asian Women’s Handball Championship: Bhawana, Menika dazzle as India begin with win over Hong Kong

New Delhi: The Indian women’s handball team kicked off their journey into the 20th Asian Women’s Handball Championship (AWHC) 2024 with a battling 31-28 win against Hong Kong-CHN on Tuesday, courtesy of splendid performances by Bhawana Sharma and Menika.

Presented by the World Handball League (WHL) and organised by the Asian Handball Federation, India is hosting the tournament for the first time at the Indira Gandhi Arena, New Delhi, from December 3 to 10.

India started the match positively, scoring their first goal of the tournament through Priyanka Thakur, who was instrumental in India’s historic win at the 2022 Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship. Moments later, experienced campaigner Menika opened her account, putting India in a position of strength.

Peppered between swift and devastating attacks were moments where India showed their sturdy defence, which stood firm amidst an onslaught by Hong Kong-CHN. Skipper Diksha Kumari, a SAF Games gold medallist, played a key role in it by stopping three opposition penalties, all within the first 30-minute period, as India entered the break up by 16-10.

Hong Kong-CHN amped their game after the restart, turning up their strategy to extract maximum attacking advantage with every play. India, however, were robust in their defences and exploited the subsequent counter-attacking opportunities with ruthless efficiency to keep their opponents at an arm’s length. India, eventually, sealed the win in style, with Bhawana adding to her Best Player award from the Junior Championships with the Player of the Match honour.

Earlier, Kazakhstan stunned heavyweights China to open the tournament with a thrilling 28-26 win. In the second match, Japan swept aside Iran by 34-14, led by a splendid performance by centreback Kaho Nakayama. Reigning champions South Korea faced off against Singapore in the penultimate match of the day, quickly establishing a significant lead over their opponents. With a strong defence and a potent wing attack, South Korea triumphed with a score of 47-5, with winger Jiyeon Jeon taking home the player of the match award. (Agencies)

Also Read: India to host Asian Women’s Handball Championship from December 1 to 10, 2024

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