Asian Games: Dominant Indian women thrash Indonesia 17-1 to sit pretty in their group

The Indian women’s hockey team continued its commanding start to the Asian Games 2026 campaign with a thumping 17-1 victory over Indonesia in their second Pool B match in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Monday.

After 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 once again produced an attacking masterclass, as they registered their second consecutive victory of the tournament. Pics: Hockey India

India’s dominance was reflected in the variety of their scoring, with seven goals coming from penalty corners and 10 from field play. Drag-flick specialist Deepika 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 and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal also completed hat-tricks, while Lalremsiami, Sunelita Toppo and Sakshi Rana scored two goals apiece. Captain Salima Tete and Ishika were also on the scoresheet with one goal each.

Savita becomes most capped Indian player

The game also marked a historic moment, with India’s veteran goalkeeper Savita becoming the most-capped Indian woman hockey player with 321 senior international appearances – going past the mark of former India striker Vandana Katariya.

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India began the contest in slightly circumspect fashion. However, once the Indian side made the necessary adjustments, the floodgates opened as their pace, movement and attacking combinations began to overwhelm the Indonesian defence.

Deepika begins the goal scoring spree for India

Navneet had an early opportunity to open the scoring but was unable to convert a penalty stroke. 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 field 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.

Eight-star Deepika and trickster Ishika power India to 19-0 win over Uzbekistan in opener

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. Teenage sensation 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 score their second goals of the match and 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. They scored five goals in a six-minute burst, with Salima finding the net in the 34th minute, followed by Navneet (35’), Ishika (36’), Rutuja (38’) and Deepika (40’). India ended the third quarter with a handy 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, the Indian women’s hockey team sits atop Pool B with an extraordinary goal difference of +35, having scored 36 goals and conceded just once. The Indian women will now enjoy a well-deserved rest on Tuesday after two successive matches before returning to action against Thailand on Wednesday.