Navneet, Sunelita star as India defeat New Zealand in Nations Cup final

Barring their Asian Champions Trophy triumph in Rajgir, the Indian women’s hockey team endured a difficult two years. Especially after their defeat in Asia Cup final last year, many wondered what the future holds for the side that had famously reached the semifinals of Tokyo Olympics.Fast forward to the present and things appear to be back on track for Salima Tete & Co. as India beat New Zealand 2-0 in the Nations Cup final in Auckland on Sunday to secure promotion back to Pro League after being relegated at the end of the 2024-25 season.For India, Navneet Kaur and Sunelita Toppo scored in the fourth and 15th minutes respectively, with both goals coming from penalty corners.India had several chances to extend their lead after that but failed to make them count.

They were, however, rock-solid in defence and maintained their composure throughout the contest. Particularly in the final quarter, when New Zealand threw everything forward in search of a goal, India remained calm under pressure and held their shape to seal the victory.The title will not only boost their confidence ahead of two major events later this year but also reinforce faith in the process and remind the team of what it is capable of on the big stage.

To recognise the achievement, Hockey India announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakh for each player and Rs 1.5 lakh for every member of the support staff.As for coach Sjoerd Marijne, he had been pleased with India’s semifinal performance against Chile and said ahead of the final: “We were happy with the match, the pace we played at and the quality we showed. That’s what we want from ourselves, and we wanted to bring the same level into today’s game as well.”The players did exactly that, dominating the proceedings from the very word go. India won their first penalty corner within four minutes and Navneet duly fired the ball into the bottom-right corner.The visitors continued to press and earned four more penalty corners. New Zealand managed to keep the first three out, but India struck from the fourth when Deepika slipped the ball to Sunelita at the right post, and the defender made no mistake with the deflection.The player-of-the-match award, meanwhile, rightly went to Lalremsiami, who was outstanding across the pitch — whether driving attacks in the final third or tracking back to help out in defence.“We’re really happy to win the match. Everyone stuck to the structure and worked incredibly hard. It was a tough game, but I think everyone gave their best and contributed as a team,” Lalremsiami told the broadcaster after the match.

“We supported each other throughout and played for one another. Now we’re excited about returning to Pro League and are looking forward to the challenge ahead.”In the end, the two goals were enough to secure both the victory and the title, and all attention now turns to World Cup, where India will open their campaign against China on Aug 16 at Wagener Hockey Stadium in Amstelveen, the Netherlands. Awards ListBest Junior Player of the Tournament: Riana Pho (New Zealand)Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament: Grace O’Hanlon (New Zealand)Top Scorer of the Tournament: Deepika (India) – 6 goalsPlayer of the Tournament: Ashley Sessa (USA)