Indian women's hockey team arrives home after winning silver in Asian Championship

The Indian women hockey team was given a warm welcome here over the weekend after its return home from the third Women's Asian Championship in Japan, where it won a silver medal.

On Sunday, the team was felicitated at the airport.

India lost to hosts Japan by a solitary goal in the final at Kakamigahara in Japan on November 9.

"Look, we played really, really well for the first three games and then in the last game the first half wasn't that good and we were down when we were upto two or three minutes. Then, the rest of the first half, as I said, wasn't very good. But, the second half was really very good.We created enough chances again, but then in the end, we couldn't do it. But, I think, it was first final they have played in long time, so the nerves and pressure of playing in the final had a bit to do with the first half so in the end we walk away pretty happy," said Indian Women Hockey Team Coach, Neil Hawgood.

On Saturday, the Japanese conceded an early goal in the second minute of the game which broke the strong Indian morale. The Indians could equalise in the eighth minute when they earned their first penalty corner but only to end up missing the chance to win.

"I think it was Japan in the end because we hadn't played Japan since World League runthrough where they beat us 1-0. So in the final game, we not only played in the final game we played even the two won games and that was quite close. But the final game was just showing that, because they closed two games in a row rather than being 4-0 that we were last time," added Hawgood.

The Japanese earned three more penalty corners in the next 10 minutes after which the Indian defence stood tall denying the hosts any further chance in the first half.