Why is Indian Eves’ Asian Champions Trophy Win over Malaysia Special for Coach Harendra Singh?

The Indian women’s hockey team needed to make the right statement in the 8th Asian Champions Trophy at Rajgir, with a solid win over Malaysia and they didn’t disappoint. The 4-0 victory must bring a ‘special’ feeling for chief coach Harendra Singh since it was his first win as India eves coach in his second stint (previously he had served in this job in 2017-18).

Read All You Want to Know About Women’s Asian Champions Trophy

It may be worth recalling that Harendra took over from Janneke Schopman in mid-2024 for the Europe legs of the Pro League at Antwerp and London, and the national side failed to contrive to a single win or even a draw, losing all their eight games against the likes of Argentina, Belgium, Germany, and Great Britain. In fact, Harendra in his first stint as Indian Eves’ coach had served in the hot seat for as many as 17 games, winning twelve of them at three tourneys – 2017 Asia Cup helping the girls to glory in Japan, 2018 South Korea Test Series, and the 2018 Commonwealth Games.

Read Stats Talk: India-Malaysia Eves Head-to-Head Record

The tournament opener win over Malaysia was also significant because it helped the Indian women’s team halt their ten-match losing streak that started during the 2024 Olympic Qualifiers at Ranchi with the semifinal shootout loss to Germany and continued during the Europe legs of the Pro League.