Asian Games hockey: India women thrash Uzbekistan 19-0, Deepika nets 8
India's women's hockey team opened their Asian Games 2026 campaign with a 19-0 rout of Uzbekistan, Deepika scoring eight goals.
The Indian women's hockey team began their Asian Games 2026 campaign in emphatic fashion on Sunday. In the opening Group B match at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium, India thrashed Uzbekistan 19-0. The win was so one-sided that Uzbekistan failed to score a single goal in the entire match.
Deepika was the standout performer in the big win, scoring 8 goals on her own. Ishika added 3 goals, while Lalthantluangi and Neha scored 2 each to keep the scoreboard tilted in India's favour. Baljeet Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Sakshi Rana also contributed one goal each to the victory.
On the back of a hat-trick from Deepika, the Indian team took control of the match from the start, which is why Uzbekistan trailed 8-0 at halftime. India gave their opponents no scoring chances after the break either. Uzbekistan could not break through the Indian defenders' cover, while Deepika kept breaking into the Uzbekistan circle to score goal after goal. Deepika, in fine form, scored four goals in a row to take India's lead to 13-0.
Deepika's attacking play energised the rest of the team, who also began breaking into the Uzbekistan circle to score. Ishika, Lalthantluangi, Sakshi and Navneet combined to dash any hopes Uzbekistan had.
Savita Punia was playing her 320th international match in the game, making her, alongside Vandana Katariya, the Indian women's hockey player with the most matches played. For Baljeet Kaur, it was the 50th match of her career.
The Indian women's team is in good spirits after finishing a historic fifth at the FIH Hockey Women's World Cup 2026, and has now begun the Asian Games in similarly strong fashion. The Asian Games hockey event is an important route for teams to secure a place at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
