India did not merely open their Asian Games women’s hockey campaign with a victory. They sent out a warning. A ruthless attacking display, led by Deepika Sehrawat’s extraordinary eight-goal haul, saw the Indian women’s team dismantle Uzbekistan 19-0 at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Sunday. From the opening whistle, India played with the urgency of a team that knows exactly what is at stake in Japan.
The Asian Games women’s hockey tournament doubles as an Olympic qualification pathway for Los Angeles 2028, with the gold medallist earning a direct berth at the next Summer Olympics. For India, bronze medallists at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, the opening fixture offered an opportunity to establish their authority in Pool B. They took it emphatically. Deepika was the undisputed star. The forward found the net in the eighth, 22nd, 26th, 33rd, 37th, 38th, 41st and 54th minutes, scoring eight times in a performance that underlined her importance to India’s attacking unit.
Six of her goals came from penalty corners, making India’s set-piece execution one of the defining features of the contest. India needed only seven minutes to break the deadlock. Lalremsiami Hmarzote finished off an early move in the seventh minute after India had already created a succession of opportunities. Deepika doubled the advantage moments later, finding space and firing home her 40th international goal. The floodgates were now open. Ishika Chaudhary added India’s third in the 11th minute after being picked out by Sunelita Toppo, before Baljeet Kaur made it 4-0 in the 12th minute.
The goal carried an additional milestone for Baljeet, who was making her 50th appearance for India. Neha then joined the scoring party in the 18th minute, before Deepika completed her hat-trick in the 22nd minute. Navneet Kaur added another in the 23rd minute, while Deepika struck again in the 26th to give India an 8-0 advantage at half-time.
There was little respite for Uzbekistan after the interval. India continued to dominate possession and repeatedly penetrated the circle. Deepika added three more goals in the third quarter, while Navneet, Lalthantluangi and Sakshi Rana also found the target as India surged to a 16-0 lead. The fourth quarter brought three more goals, including further strikes from Lalthantluangi, Ishika and Deepika. The final numbers illustrated India’s control.
The team recorded 66 circle penetrations and 62 per cent possession, turning the contest into a prolonged attacking exercise rather than a competitive group fixture. Savita Punia had very little to do between the posts, but her presence was itself significant. The veteran goalkeeper was playing her 320th international match, moving level with Vandana Katariya as India’s most-capped women’s hockey player.
The result also provides an immediate boost to India’s campaign in a six-team Pool B containing Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the knockout stage. India’s next assignment comes against Indonesia on Monday.
The result against Uzbekistan gives the team an early goal-difference advantage, but the real test will arrive against stronger opposition as the tournament progresses. The stakes are considerably higher than simply winning the Asian Games title. The gold medallist will qualify directly for the 2028 Olympics, while the next four teams will get an opportunity to compete in the Olympic qualification tournament.
India entered the Asian Games after a difficult World Cup campaign, and Deepika has indicated that the team has carried lessons from that tournament into its preparations for Japan. The focus, she said, is firmly on winning gold and securing Olympic qualification.
A 19-0 victory can sometimes be dismissed as a mismatch. For India, however, the importance lies in how ruthlessly the team executed its job. The opening fixture was never expected to be India’s biggest test of the tournament. But the manner of the victory matters. India attacked continuously, converted penalty corners, moved the ball efficiently and refused to reduce its intensity even after the result was effectively decided.
Deepika’s eight goals will dominate the headlines, and rightly so. But India’s biggest takeaway should be the breadth of its attacking threat. Lalremsiami, Ishika, Baljeet, Neha, Navneet, Lalthantluangi and Sakshi Rana all got on the scoresheet, demonstrating that the team is not dependent on one scorer. The bigger objective, however, remains beyond Uzbekistan.
India wants the gold medal. And in Aichi-Nagoya, gold means something more than a continental title. It means a direct ticket to Los Angeles. For now, India has made the loudest possible opening statement. 19 goals, a clean sheet and eight from Deepika. The Asian Games campaign has begun in emphatic fashion.
