Commonwealth Games 2022 women’s hockey: India rise to top of the group after beating Wales 3-1

The Indian women’s hockey team continued its winning streak at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a dominating 3-1 victory against Wales at the University of Birmingham Hockey and Squash Centre on Saturday.

Vandana Katariya (16’, 48’) and Gurjit Kaur (28’) scored the goals for India while Xenna Hughes (45’) pulled one back for Wales.

Despite attack from both ends, the teams remained goalless in the first quarter. India, ranked ninth, asked more questions, but world No. 24 Wales packed their defense to restrict the opponent from creating openings.

India turned the tide in the second quarter with their third penalty corner. They scored two goals in three minutes to take the lead.

Vandana Katariya drew first blood off a Gurjit Kaur flick in the 27th minute. And then, Gurjit took control in the next few seconds to extend the lead to 2-0 with a world-class drag-flick off Lalremsiami.

Wales bounced back in the third quarter when Xenna Hughes converted a penalty corner. The ball deflected off Deep Grace Ekka’s feet to find the net.

Navneet missed a close-range shot at goal in the 41st minute, but Monika and Vandana plotted and repeated the similar penalty corner drill to extend the lead to 3-1 in the 48th minute.

Vandana Katariya was the star of the match as she scored twice to keep India ahead in the clash.

“Very important that we did it as a team, as they are also playing good and we were all fighting,” Vandana Katariya said. “We played end-to-end hockey (in the fourth quarter) and gave our best efforts, playing and connecting with each other as a team.”

Wales lost their second game in a row – they were beaten 4-0 by Canada – while India managed to rise to the top of the table after two matches in Pool A. The top two teams will advance to the semi-finals.

The Indian women’s hockey team will play world No. 5 England at Birmingham 2022 next on Tuesday.