NewKerala.com

Key Points

Udita's outstanding performance earned her Player of Tournament honors at the Women's Asia Cup. She stepped up brilliantly as drag-flicker in Deepika's absence, converting three penalty corner goals. India secured the silver medal despite losing 4-1 to hosts China in the final. The team showed strong character throughout the tournament with impressive wins against Korea and Japan.

Key Points: Udita Wins Player of Tournament After India Women's Hockey Asia Cup Silver

  • Udita converted three crucial penalty corner goals during the tournament
  • Stepped up as drag-flicker in absence of injured Deepika
  • India remained unbeaten throughout pool stage matches
  • Team defeated Korea and Japan in strong campaign performances
3 min read

'Grateful to my teammates and coaching staff for believing in me: Udita on Player of the Tournament honour at Women's Asia Cup

Indian defender Udita earns Player of Tournament honors at Women's Asia Cup 2025 despite team's silver medal finish against China, stepping up in Deepika's absence.

"Individual awards are always special, but for me, it reflects the effort of the entire team. - Udita"

New Delhi, Sep 16

Indian women’s hockey team defender Udita was ecstatic on being adjudged the Player of the Tournament as her team clinched the silver medal at the Women’s Asia Cup 2025. Team India lost the title clash 1-4 against hosts China on Sunday.

Udita played a key role in the team’s campaign throughout the tournament in the absence of India’s regular drag-flicker Deepika, who was sidelined due to an injury. Udita stepped up and took charge of the team’s penalty corners. Amid the added responsibilities, she brilliantly converted three goals while also fulfilling her defensive duties.

On being named the Player of the Tournament, Udita said, “It is a proud moment for me to be named the Player of the Tournament. This recognition is very special because I had missed the Pro League matches in Europe earlier this year, and coming back strongly in such an important tournament was always my target. I am grateful to my teammates and coaching staff for believing in me and supporting me throughout this journey.”

India started on a high note against China, converting a penalty corner into a goal in the first minute, thanks to Navneet Kaur. However, the hosts came back with a strong reply and scored a goal in the second quarter.

China completely dominated the second half and scored three more goals as the Indian side failed to score further. However, India had a campaign to remember, and Udita was all praises while speaking of her team’s performance at the tournament.

“We played some very good hockey as a unit and showed a lot of character in tough matches. Our victories against teams like Korea and Japan gave us great confidence. Unfortunately, the Final didn’t go our way, but this Silver medal is a step forward and gives us the motivation to keep improving as we prepare for bigger challenges ahead,” the defender added.

Further, Udita dedicated her award to the team’s collective effort, saying, "Individual awards are always special, but for me, it reflects the effort of the entire team. Every player contributed, and I am honoured to represent such a hardworking group. We will learn from this experience and come back even stronger."

India remained unbeaten throughout the pool stage and finished with seven points from three games. While they beat Thailand and Singapore 11-0 and 12-0, respectively, they drew their match against Japan 2-2.

Making their way into the Super4s, the Salima Tete-led team defeated Korea 4-2 before losing 1-4 to China. They drew their third game against Japan 1-1 to eventually book themselves a finals berth.

-- IANS

- IANS

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Silver medal is still a great achievement! China is always tough to beat at home. The girls showed tremendous spirit throughout the tournament. Udita's humility in dedicating the award to the team shows true sportsmanship 👏
A
Ananya R
The way she handled both defensive duties and penalty corners after Deepika's injury is remarkable! Shows the depth of talent in our women's hockey. Future looks bright for Indian hockey! 🏑
M
Michael C
While the individual performance was outstanding, we need to address why we couldn't maintain the momentum in the final. The second half collapse against China is concerning. Hope the coaching staff works on maintaining consistency in big matches.
S
Siddharth J
️11-0 and 12-0 wins against Thailand and Singapore show our dominance in Asian hockey! Udita and the entire team deserve more recognition and support. When will we see women's hockey get the same attention as cricket?
N
Nisha Z
Her journey from missing Pro League to becoming Player of the Tournament is inspirational! Shows what determination and hard work can achieve. More power to our women athletes! 💪
K
Karthik V
Great performance overall! Beating Korea and drawing with Japan shows we're among the top teams in Asia. Just need to work on finishing

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50