India’s women’s hockey team is making a habit of turning Asian Games matches into one-sided affairs. A day after dismantling Uzbekistan 19-0, India produced another ruthless attacking display, defeating Indonesia 17-1 on Monday to make it two wins from two in Pool B.
The scoreline was emphatic, but more significant was the manner in which India shared the workload across its forward line. Deepika Sehrawat, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal and Navneet Kaur each completed hat-tricks as India repeatedly exposed gaps in the Indonesian defence. Deepika, who had already scored eight goals in the tournament opener, added three more, taking her tally to 11 goals in just two matches.
The 22-year-old forward opened the scoring in the eighth minute, converting a penalty corner. It was the beginning of another productive evening in front of goal. India had actually missed an early opportunity to take the lead when Navneet’s penalty stroke in the fourth minute was saved by the Indonesian goalkeeper. But the miss did little to slow the Indians down. Sunelita Toppo doubled the advantage in the 11th minute before Lalremsiami reacted quickest to a rebound two minutes later. Rutuja then joined the scoring in the 15th minute, turning pressure into India’s fourth goal.
The second quarter became a procession. Lalremsiami scored again, Rutuja added her second, and Sakshi Rana got on the scoresheet in the 25th minute. Deepika then converted another penalty corner before Sunelita scored her second. By half-time, India had established a commanding 9-0 advantage. Indonesia briefly interrupted India’s momentum early in the third quarter when Innes Aditiya converted a penalty corner to make it 9-1. It proved to be little more than a consolation as India immediately resumed its assault.
Captain Salima Tete scored from open play before Navneet and Ishika Chaudhary added further goals. Rutuja completed her hat-trick and Deepika followed with her third in the 40th minute. The final quarter belonged to Navneet. She scored twice in the 56th and 57th minutes, while Sakshi also added her second to take India to 17. The final scoreline reflected not only India’s finishing but also the variety of its attacking routes, with goals coming from penalty corners, rebounds and field play.
For Deepika, the performance continued an extraordinary start to the tournament. Her eight-goal haul against Uzbekistan had already set a new record for the most goals scored by an individual player in a single Asian Games hockey match. Her latest three-goal contribution has taken her tournament tally to 11.
The numbers also underline India’s attacking depth. Nine different players found the net against Indonesia, while three players registered hat-tricks and two more scored twice. That spread of goals makes India difficult to contain because the scoring threat is not concentrated around one player. India will now turn its attention to Thailand on Wednesday as it continues its Pool B campaign.
The opening two victories have provided a formidable start, but the larger objective extends beyond dominating the group stage. India are chasing the Asian Games gold medal because the title carries direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. That adds another layer to every match in the campaign.
The most encouraging aspect of India’s 17-1 victory was not the margin, but the multiplicity of match-winners. Deepika’s continued scoring form has understandably dominated the headlines, yet India’s ability to generate goals through Rutuja, Navneet, Lalremsiami, Sunelita and Sakshi offers a broader indication of its attacking strength. The early stages of the Asian Games have therefore presented two contrasting challenges for India.
Against Uzbekistan and Indonesia, the task was breaking down deep and inexperienced defences. The tougher examination will come when the opposition has the quality and organisation to restrict India’s circle entries and penalty-corner opportunities.
For now, however, India have done exactly what a team with Olympic qualification in sight needs to do: attack relentlessly, convert chances and build momentum. The 19-0 and 17-1 victories have delivered the results, but the real test of this campaign will arrive when the margins become smaller and every goal carries greater weight.
