The Indian women’s hockey team continued its commanding start to the Asian Games 2026 with a thumping 17-1 victory over Indonesia in their second Pool B match at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Monday.
Following their emphatic 19-0 win over Uzbekistan in the opening game, India once again produced an attacking masterclass, as they registered their second consecutive victory of the tournament.
India’s dominance was reflected in the variety of their scoring, with seven goals coming from penalty corners and 10 from open play.
Drag-flick specialist Deepika Sehrawat (8′, 28′, 40′) continued her prolific run in front of goal, scoring a hat-trick to take her tournament tally to 11 goals after just two matches.
Veteran forward Navneet Kaur (35′, 56′, 57′) and Rutuja Pisal (15′, 20′, 38′) also completed hat-tricks. Sunelita Toppo (11′, 30′), Lalremsiami Hmarzote (13′, 16′) and Sakshi Rana (25′, 57′) found the net twice apiece, while captain Salima Tete (34′) and Ishika Chaudhary (36′) added one goal each.
The game also marked a historic moment, with India’s veteran goalkeeper Savita Punia becoming the most-capped Indian woman hockey player with 321 senior international appearances – going past former India striker Vandana Katariya.Â
Navneet had an early opportunity to open the scoring but was unable to convert a penalty stroke.
However, India soon began earning a series of penalty corners and Deepika made one count in the eighth minute, adding to the eight goals she had scored against Uzbekistan.
Three minutes later, Sunelita found the target from open play before Lalremsiami converted a set-piece in the 12th minute. Rutuja then added her first goal as India ended the opening quarter with a commanding 4-0 lead.
The second quarter followed a similar pattern. Lalremsiami completed her brace within the first minute after the restart, while Rutuja scored her second in the 20th minute.
Teenager Sakshi then opened her account with a field goal in the 25th minute. India finished the half strongly, with Deepika and Sunelita converting penalty corners to take India into the interval with a 9-0 advantage.
Indonesia managed to pull one goal back early in the third quarter against the run of play through Innes Aditya, but India’s response was immediate and emphatic.
Bronze medal winners at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games, India scored five goals in a six-minute burst and ended the third quarter with a 14-1 lead.
Indonesia managed to keep India at bay for much of the opening 10 minutes of the final quarter as some promising Indian moves failed to translate into goals.
However, the victors finished strongly. Navneet struck twice in quick succession in the 56th and 57th minutes to complete her hat-trick, while Sakshi added her second goal in between to round off another emphatic Indian victory.
With two wins from two matches, India sit atop Pool B with a goal difference of +35, having scored 36 goals and conceded just once.
The team will now enjoy a well-deserved rest on Tuesday after two successive matches before returning to action against Thailand on Wednesday.
The Indian women’s hockey team will face Thailand in their next Asian Games Pool B match on Wednesday. Japan and Singapore are the other two teams in the group.
At Aichi-Nagoya 2026, the women’s hockey tournament doubles up as a qualifier for the LA 2028 Olympics, with the gold medal winner bagging a direct berth for the upcoming Summer Games.
