Jharkhand hockey prodigies once again brought glory to the state by winning the prestigious 7th national hockey championship held at Ramanathpuram in Tamil Nadu on Sunday. The sub-junior girls defeated strong contender Harayana by 5-4.
In an exciting final match, the title was decided through penalty shootout after the match finished 2-2 draw. In the penalty shootout, Jharkhand goalkeeper Kalyani putting brilliant effort saved three certain goals and helped Jharkhand to win the match.
This was the first sub-junior title for Jharkhand from national championship. Earlier, Jharkhand girls have won junior and senior national titles. The state had been craving for the titles for last seven years. “Hockey is in our blood. The win is a new addition to our achievement. Three Jharkhand girls have led the senior national teams so far,” said former captain Indian women hockey team Asunta Lakra. State sports minister Amar Bauri said that girls have been making Jharkhand proud. “One of them is Nikki Pradhan, who represented India in Rio Olympic in Brazil,” he said.
