Deepika missed a penalty stroke in the closing stages of an exciting match against China in Berlin. India eventually lost 0-3.

The body language of the national women’s hockey team said it all.

In a do-or-die battle against the Chinese side in a FIH Hockey Pro League match in Berlin on Saturday, the national team were unable to score off penalty stroke and take advantage of China’s 10-member team. The Indian side is on the verge of relegation!

Tong Chen was flashed a yellow card by the umpire in the closing stages of the exciting contest.

With just five minutes to go for the long whistle, Deepika’s stroke hit the right side of the vertical post, hinting that she was under tremendous pressure to score a goal.

Despite having the luxury of coaching staff, including a mental trainer, the elite women’s team is yet to learn to deliver goods under pressure. The players fumbled throughout the high voltage contest and didn’t play their natural game, which indicated that the players weren’t able to stay focused.

The Indian side came close to scoring several times in the match, but poor finish inside the circle failed to move the scoreboard in their favour.

On the other hand, the Chinese played like a well-oiled machine and got the upper hand in the second quarter.

As the match progressed, the Indian forward-line continued to falter inside the circle, putting more pressure on the players.

India is at the bottom of the table and on the verge of relegation. Player of the match—China’s Chen Yang told the FIH website that her team managed to execute the plans. “We organised our structure very well and we played more like a team. That’s why we won,” Chen said in post-match interaction with FIH.

India women’s team will play their second leg of the FIH Hockey Pro League against China today in the evening.  

In another match in the women’s group, England’s team stayed focused to ensure a place in the next season’s FIH Hockey Pro League with a 1-0 win over Germany.