New Delhi [India], December 3 (ANI): The Indian women's handball team began their journey into the 20th Asian Women's Handball Championship (AWHC) 2024 with a battling 31-28 win against Hong Kong on Tuesday, courtesy of splendid performances by Bhawana Sharma and Menika.

Amid loud chants of 'Chak de India' and 'Bharat Mata ki Jai', India started the match positively, scoring their first goal of the tournament through Priyanka Thakur, who was instrumental in India's historic win at the 2022 Asian Women's Junior Handball Championship. Moments later, experienced campaigner Menika opened her account, putting India in a position of strength.

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Peppered between swift and devastating attacks were moments where India showed their sturdy defence, which stood firm amidst an onslaught by Hong Kong, a release said.

Skipper Diksha Kumari, a SAF Games gold medallist, played a key role in it by stopping three opposition penalties, all within the first 30-minute period, as India entered the break up by 16-10.

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Hong Kong amped their game after the restart, turning up their strategy to extract maximum attacking advantage with every play. India, however, were robust in their defences and exploited the subsequent counter-attacking opportunities with ruthless efficiency to keep their opponents at arm's length.

India, eventually, sealed the win in style, with Bhawana adding to her Best Player award from the Junior Championships with the Player of the Match honour.

Earlier, Kazakhstan stunned heavyweights China to open the tournament with a thrilling 28-26 win. Helping them in their cause was a player of the match performance by goalkeeper Zhannat Aitenova, who thwarted everything China had to throw her way. In the second match, Japan swept aside Iran by 34-14, led by a splendid performance by centreback Kaho Nakayama.

Reigning champions South Korea faced off against Singapore in the penultimate match of the day, quickly establishing a significant lead over their opponents. With a strong defence and a potent wing attack, South Korea triumphed with a score of 47-5, with winger Jiyeon Jeon taking home the player of the match award.

India will look to build on their win and secure a first-ever berth in the AWHC semi-finals-and subsequently, the 2025 World Women's Handball Championship in Germany and the Netherlands -when they play Iran on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Hong Kong will play Japan, China will take on Singapore, and Kazakhstan will clash with South Korea. (ANI)

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