New Delhi [India], June 21 : PM Narendra Modi on Sunday hailed the Indian women's hockey team on winning the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup, praising their outstanding performances throughout the tournament.
He said the team's success has brought pride and joy to the nation and expressed hope that the victory would inspire more youngsters to take up hockey.
The Indian Women's Hockey Team clinched the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup title with a commanding 2-0 victory over hosts New Zealand in the final in Auckland on Sunday.
"Indian hockey players bring pride and joy! Congratulations to the women's team for emerging as winners in the FIH Hockey Women's Nations Cup. The team played exceptionally well throughout the entire tournament. Best wishes to the team. May this win inspire several others to play hockey," PM Modi wrote in an X post.
https://x.com/narendramodi/status/2068658567981494650?s=20
Navneet Kaur (4') gave India the early lead before Sunelita Toppo (15') doubled India's advantage. The team produced a stellar defensive display to protect their lead and win the title, which also marked their return to the FIH Hockey Women's Pro League next season.
Lalremsiami won the 'Player of the Match' award in the final, while Deepika finished as the joint-top scorer in the tournament with six goals to her name, sharing the honours with USA's Ashley Sessa.
This is India's second Nations Cup title, having won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2022.
India remained unbeaten throughout their campaign, defeating USA (3-2), Japan (2-1), and Uruguay (3-2) in the Pool A matches before registering a commanding 6-0 win over Chile in the semi-final. They delivered an excellent performance in the final to clinch the title with a 2-0 victory over New Zealand.
To recognise the teams' achievements, Hockey India announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.