India Finish Runners-Up to China in FIH Youth Hockey5s Asia, Secure World Cup Spot

India's spirited campaign at the FIH Youth Hockey5s Asian Championship ended with a 2-4 defeat to China in the women's final on Saturday, as the young Indian side settled for the silver medal. Despite falling short in the title clash, the team achieved its primary objective by securing qualification for the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup after an outstanding tournament.

China stamped its authority early in the final, catching India off guard with a blistering start. Tongtong Lu opened the scoring in the very first minute before Kexin Tang doubled the lead in the fifth minute. Moments later, Jiaxin Guo added another goal to hand China a commanding 3-0 advantage within six minutes.

India regrouped after the break and showed impressive fighting spirit. Nousheen Naz pulled one back in the 13th minute to spark hopes of a comeback, but China quickly responded through Chen Ge, restoring the three-goal cushion in the 19th minute.

India refused to surrender as Pushpa Manjhi scored in the final minute, but the late effort was not enough to prevent China from lifting the championship trophy with a 4-2 victory.

Earlier in the day, India had produced one of their most dominant performances of the tournament by crushing Kazakhstan 8-1 in the semifinal. Sandeepa Kumari opened the scoring before Pushpa Manjhi struck a brilliant hat-trick. Captain Diya netted twice, while Shruti Kumari and Nousheen Naz also got on the scoresheet to complete the emphatic win.

The impressive run in Muscat highlighted the immense potential of India's next generation of hockey talent. While the Asian title slipped away in the final, the team's silver-medal finish and qualification for the FIH Youth Hockey5s World Cup mark a significant milestone for Indian women's youth hockey.

Recognising the team's remarkable achievement, Hockey India announced a cash reward of ₹1 lakh for each player and ₹50,000 for every member of the support staff.