Full time: India 2-1 China A look at the full-time stats below. As the commentators observed, two goals out of six shots is a good stat to have but 6 shots from 33 circle entries is not ideal. India were a bit wasteful in that regard, but it’s been a rather long week. A win is a win after all. Very early days, but after two contrasting wins Indian women, on their debut in the FIH Pro League, are currently. That will be all for this blog. Follow Scroll.in’s coverage of Indian hockey here.

Player of the match: Monika

Full time: India 2-1 China Gurjit Kaur with both of India’s goals. One early in the match and one late on. A tight battle and India had to grit it out in the heat. Wasn’t easy today.

Q4, India 2-1 China: China’s goal now would take us to a shootout for an extra point even though this is a league format. But looks unlikely.

Q4, India 2-1 China: Last couple of minutes of the match and India are finishing strongly.

Q4, India 2-1 China: Monika wins a PC down the right flank and it results in another. Deep Grace with a drag flick this time that seemed to be heading on target deflected wide.

Q4, India 2-1 China: The Chinese goalkeeper was actually having a really good game but she has had no chance with both of Gurjit Kaur’s drag flicks today that have resulted in goals. When she gets it right, she is one of the best. China are now looking to build attacks now and that will open up the field more for India. 7 mins left.

Q4, India 2-1 China, GOAL INDIAAA!!!! Who else, but Gurjit Kaur. The drag flick is one of the highest quality moments we have seen today. Terrific control, superb power on it, more importantly the perfect placement down to the GK’s right.

Q4, India 1-1 China: Surong Wu to China’s rescue! A lovely passing move by India (tired as they seem) playing simple but effective forward passes, Navneet takes a shot on goal but the goalkeeper is out early and prevents it.

Q4, India 1-1 China: A PC for India. But Deep Grace’s drag flick is well wide of the target. She, pardon the pun, dragged it too much there. Tired limbs.

Q4 begins. India 1-1 China. Both teams feeling the heat, which team will finish this match on a high?

End of Q3, India 1-1 China: India conceded from a rare China attacking move and now there is a bit more desperation going forward. At 1-0, there was just too much of passive possession. Worth noting, quite a few matches in the past week in the Oman heat. India would be feeling the effects of that too after a long break without match time.

Q3, India 1-1 China: The pressure doesn’t result in a goal for India.

Q3, India 1-1 China: A PC for India... Gurjit’s shot is saved. India have another PC in no time. Reaction from the women in white.

Q3, India 1-1 China: GOAL CHINA! And that’s what they say about a 1-0 lead don’t they? India struggled to score a 2nd and China have scored from a rare move forward. Indian defence caught overloaded on right flank. The pass across goal finds Wang Shumin in space and she hits it across goal and beats Savita Punia. (And India went on a rampage after conceding yesterday albeit at 3-1)

Q3, India 1-0 China: China are happy to let Indian defenders play high up without any pressure, defending their half in numbers. A couple of opportunities to counter have come up but China lose position but... right now it is a case of offence vs defence.

Players are out for the second half. China can be delighted it is only 1-0 so far... but India had a storming 2nd half yesterday it’s worth noting. We’ll wait to confirm if Savita is now in goal or Rajani continues.


Half time: India 1-0 China: China have held firm since then despite pressure from the likes of Vandana, Lalremsiami. The 12 circle penetrations so far have resulted in only three shots, that’s an area India will want to address. Comfortable in defence but 1-0 is not an ideal position to be in for the dominance India have had.

Half time, India 1-0 China: Gurjit Kaur gave India a lead in the third minute. But they have been unable to find a second goal since. Some good attacking plays but China have held firm.

Q2, India 1-0 China: As we had observed in the blog yesterday as well, the commentators are now speaking about it feels India are favouring the left flanks for their attacking entries. In the Asia Cup, there was a switch to right flank in the middle of a match. Will be interesting to see if there is some of that here in the second half...

Q2, India 1-0 China: The commentators reckon the Chinese players look knackered too. They have only 15 players to choose from, like they did yesterday. Can’t even rotate much.

Q2, India 1-0 China: Oh brilliant dribbling skills from Vandana to receive the ball at the edge of the circle and make her way through the heart of the defence but her final ball doesn’t find a colleague’s stick. India come again down the right this time... China have dropped deep once again. India controlling possession.

Q2, India 1-0 China: More attacking intent from China at the start of this quarter. India go on the counter... and nearly score. Navneet with a shot-cross goal, Vandana couldn’t get a deflection on it. Another pacy move down the left.

End of Q1, India 1-0 China: Solid start for India. But China looking to keep things tight at the back today, evidently.

Q1, India 1-0 China: A minute to go, and it is all India at the moment. Looks like China are trying to sit deeper than they were yesterday as a result of the 7-1.

Q1, India 1-0 China: What a chance! Gurjit Kaur with a pass into the circle from nearly the two-thirds point on the field and it goes all the way to Lalremsiami at the back post, inches away from goal. She couldn’t deflect it in. She has a smile on her face, knows perhaps she should have scored. 7 circle penetrations already for India compared to China’s 2 with less than 5 mins to go.

Q1, India 1-0 China: Good early intensity from both sides it must be said. But India’s attacking skills shining through early here. Deepika, the teenager, is catching the eyes of the commentators.

Q1, India 1-0 China: GOAL, INDIA! Well, what a start. First PC of the day, earned down the right flank by Jyoti. Gurjit Kaur makes no mistake from the drag flick.

Q1, India 0-0 China: Savita and Vandana are among the subs to start off, certain to feature soon you’d think. Pushback!

National anthems time. The commentators inform us that there will be NO video referrals today as well, like it was the case yesterday too.

Relentless, talented and speedy; India’s entry into the FIH Hockey Pro League was marked by an excellent performance and a 7-1 win that showed that Janneke Schopman and her team are more than ready for the challenges of FIH Hockey Pro League.

It was a day of firsts in Muscat, Oman as the city hosted its first FIH Hockey Pro League match. The hockey-mad city had just played host to the 2022 Women’s Asia Cup and now two of the teams that had competed in that competition – India (FIH World Ranking:9) and China (WR:13) – came head-to-head in the opening FIH Hockey Pro League match of 2022.

For China, this match was a chance to turn around the result of the teams’ encounter in the third place match at the 2022 Women’s Asia Cup where they had lost 2-0 to India.

For India women, this was its first match in the FIH Hockey Pro League, following the withdrawal of Australia and New Zealand from the competition because of Covid-related travel restrictions. Ahead of the tournament Head Coach Janneke Schopman had spoken of the great opportunity the FIH Hockey Pro League offered her team, with the chance of regular, high quality competition.

In a third ‘first’, India’s three goals scored from penalty strokes are the most penalty strokes to be awarded and converted in one FIH Hockey Pro league match.
(via FIH)

4.25 pm: Hello and welcome to live coverage of the FIH Pro League match between India and China in Muscat.

Screenshots courtesy FIH / Disney + Hotstar