India win inaugural season of Hockey5s Asia Cup; defeat arch-rivals Pakistan by 2-0 in penalty shootoout
The Indian hockey team recently brought one more laurel to home as they defeated Pakistan in the penalty shootouts by 2-0 in the inaugural season of the Hockey5s Asia Cup in Oman. Pakistan led the game in the first half by 3-2. However, India managed to equal the score by the end of the regulation time by 4-4, which ultimately led the game towards a penalty shootout.
Maninder Singh and Gurjot Singh scored valuable goals for India in the penalty shootouts while Suraj Karkera, India’s goalkeeper restricted Pakistan’s goals by their players Arshad Liaqat and Muhammad Murtaza, which led India to the victory.
Prime Minister Modi congratulates the national hockey team
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated India’s hockey team for their unwavering, dedication and determination to win. “Champions at the Hockey5s Asia Cup!! Congratulations to the Indian Men’s Hockey Team on a phenomenal victory. It is a testament to the unwavering dedication of our players and with this win, we have also secured our spot at the Hockey5s World Cup in Oman next year. The grit and determination of our players continues to inspire our nation”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Following their victory, India has already qualified for the next season of FIH Men’s Hockey5s World Cup Oman 2024. The Hockey India President Padma Shri Dr Dilip Tirkey also congratulated the Indian hockey team on the social media account while declaring prize money for each player, and the sports staff. He said, “Champions of Asia! Congratulations to our incredible Indian Men’s Hockey Team on winning Men’s Hockey5s Asia Cup 2023 title by defeating arch-rivals Pakistan. We’re proud to announce that Hockey India will be awarding Rs 2 lakhs to each player and Rs 1 lakh to every member of the support staff for their outstanding efforts.”
The Indian hockey team will participate next in the Asian Games 2023 which will be hosted by China. Here is India’s squad for Asian Games 2023: PR Sreejesh, Krishan Pathak, Varun Kumar, Amit Rohidas, Jarmanpreet Singh, Harmanpreet Singh (captain), Sanjay, Sumit, Nilakanta Sharma, Hardik Singh (vice-captain), Manpreet Singh, Vivek Sagar Prasad, Shamsher Singh, Abhishek, Gurjant Singh, Mandeep Singh, Sukhjeet Singh and Lalit Kumar Upadhyay.
