Jaipur: India have achieved a historic double triumph in the first South Asian Soft Hockey Championship held in Kathmandu. Both the Indian men’s and women’s teams performed brilliantly and swept the titles.In the men’s final, India created history by defeating their arch-rival Pakistan 7-0 in a one-sided manner. From the very beginning of the match, Indian players played aggressively and did not give Pakistan any chance to recover.India’s star player Sahil Sapkal excelled and slammed a hat-trick, while Vijay Rai scored two goals. Pakistan looked completely helpless in front of the fast pace and precise strategy of the Indian team. Sahil Sapkal emerged as the highest goal scorer in the entire tournament.In the women’s category, the Indian team also displayed excellent show blanking hosts Nepal 6-0 in a lop-sided summit clash to clinch the crown.Nandita Sharma single-handedly struck four goals in the final match, setting the stage for India’s victory. Nandita was the highest scorer of the tournament with eight goals.Dr Ashutosh Pant, President of the Soft Hockey Federation of India, congratulated both teams on India’s double success. Dr Aditya Nag also congratulated them. All the Federation officials extended their heartfelt best wishes.Federation General Secretary Ramesh Singh, who accompanied the team, said that the guidance of coach Dr Kapil Sharma and the hard work of the players were crucial to the Indian teams’ success. He said that after this success, the sport of soft hockey will gain more recognition at the international level.
