Asian Women’s Handball Championship: Resilient India Faces Narrow Loss to Iran Despite Nina Shil’s Stellar Performance
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New Delhi, Dec 4 (NationPress) Despite Nina Shil’s exceptional goalkeeping, the Indian women’s handball squad experienced a close two-point loss, finishing 32-30 against Iran in their second Group B encounter at the 20th Asian Women’s Handball Championship (AWHC) 2024 held here on Wednesday. Drawing from their spirited performance, India is eager to rebound when they compete against Japan in their final group match of the tournament.
Utilizing her extensive experience at the elite level, Shalini Thakur skillfully maneuvered through a tough Iranian defense to score the opening goal for India with an impressive finish. Shortly thereafter, Bhawana Sharma, India’s standout player from their victory against Hong Kong-China, converted a penalty, providing the hosts with the start they were hoping for.
The duo of seasoned goalkeepers, Nina Shil and captain Diksha Kumari, both gold medallists from the SAF Games, successfully repelled numerous Iranian attacks, ensuring the teams went into halftime neck and neck.
Nina’s formidable defense after the break kept Iran at bay, offering a solid foundation for the Indian attackers to chip away at their opponents’ lead. By shifting play across the court and optimizing the use of pivot players, India breached the Iranian defense multiple times, pushing the match to the very end before succumbing to a narrow defeat.
India aims to secure its first-ever spot in the AWHC semifinals, and potentially qualify for the 2025 World Women’s Handball Championship in Germany and the Netherlands, as they prepare to face Japan on Friday. Meanwhile, Iran is set to compete against Hong Kong-CHN, Kazakhstan will challenge Singapore, and South Korea is scheduled to face China.
Hosted by the World Handball League (WHL) and organized by the Asian Handball Federation, this is the first time India is hosting the tournament at the Indira Gandhi Arena in New Delhi, running from December 3 to 10.
