India’s women’s hockey team are turning Pool B into a procession of goals. After putting 19 past Uzbekistan and 17 past Indonesia, the Indian attack produced another statement performance on Wednesday, overwhelming Thailand 20-1 at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium. At the centre of another ruthless display was Deepika, whose penalty-corner mastery produced a staggering nine goals, taking her tournament tally to 20 after just three matches. India’s latest victory was their third consecutive win and kept Sjoerd Marijne’s side firmly at the top of Pool B.
The result was another exhibition of India’s attacking depth, but it was Deepika who dominated the scoreboard. All nine of her goals came from penalty corners, underlining the effectiveness of India’s set-piece execution and the forward’s growing influence on the tournament. Navneet Kaur added four goals, while Rutuja Pisal completed a hat-trick.
Neha, Lalremsiami, Sakshi Rana and captain Salima Tete also found the target as India maintained pressure throughout the contest. Thailand, meanwhile, spent much of the match trying to withstand wave after wave of Indian attacks. The Asian side eventually found a consolation goal late in the fourth quarter when Supansa Samanso converted a penalty corner with a drag-flick that took a slight deflection before beating the Indian defence.
It was the only time Thailand managed to breach India’s defence. The scale of India’s dominance is best reflected in the numbers. Their opening three matches have now produced 56 goals, with only two conceded. The campaign began with a 19-0 victory against Uzbekistan, where Deepika scored eight, before India followed it with a 17-1 win over Indonesia. Deepika had already scored three against Indonesia before adding nine more against Thailand.
The remarkable scoring spree has also placed greater attention on India’s penalty-corner threat. Deepika’s ability to repeatedly convert set-piece opportunities has provided India with another weapon as the competition moves towards the more demanding stages. The victory also keeps India on course for a significant opportunity beyond the Asian Games medal race. The women’s hockey tournament doubles as an Asian qualifier for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
The gold-medal winner will secure direct qualification, while the next four teams will have the opportunity to compete in the Olympic qualifiers. India’s immediate challenge, however, will be Japan on Friday. The Japanese side will provide a considerably different test from the teams India have faced in their opening three matches.
Japan are also in Pool B, alongside India, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand and Singapore. For India, that fixture will offer the first opportunity to measure their extraordinary attacking numbers against a stronger opponent before the knockout rounds begin. India won bronze at the Hangzhou Asian Games after defeating Japan 2-1 in the bronze-medal match. This time, the target is considerably higher. The Indian women are chasing their first Asian Games gold since 1982, when they won the inaugural women’s hockey title at the Games on home soil.
The biggest takeaway from India’s opening three games is not simply the margin of victory, but the consistency with which the team are creating and converting opportunities. Nineteen goals against Uzbekistan was followed by 17 against Indonesia and now 20 against Thailand. Deepika has emerged as the tournament’s most prolific scorer for India, while Navneet, Rutuja, Lalremsiami, Neha, Sakshi and Salima have ensured that the attack does not depend on one player alone. However, the real examination is still to come.
Japan will offer India a stronger defensive challenge and could provide a clearer indication of where this team stands against the continent’s leading sides. The knockout phase will demand more than relentless attacking numbers. India will need composure, defensive organisation and the ability to respond when opponents deny them the space and penalty corners they have enjoyed in the opening matches.
For now, though, India’s campaign could hardly have started more emphatically. Three games, three wins, 56 goals and just two conceded. With Deepika continuing to punish opponents from penalty corners, India have made their ambitions clear.
