Asian Games: India Women’s Hockey beats Uzbekistan 19-0; Rifle team wins silver

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The Indian women’s hockey squad opened their campaign in commanding fashion, thrashing Uzbekistan 19-0 during their first fixture at the ongoing Asian Games 2026.

Forward Deepika delivered a sensational performance, scoring eight goals, five of which came from penalty corners, while Ishika completed a hat-trick in India’s dominant display. Lalremsiami kicked off the goal rush in the sixth minute, capitalising after the Uzbek goalkeeper turned away Navneet Kaur’s initial strike.

Deepika quickly pushed India’s lead to two with a strong hit from the right side. Sunelita then set up Ishika, who redirected a first-time shot for the third goal. Baljeet made it 4-0 before the end of the first quarter by knocking in a rebound.

India kept pressing forward in the second period as Neha struck a spectacular reverse-stick shot to make it 5-0. Deepika subsequently converted a penalty corner for her second goal, before Rutuja buried a rebound finish to increase the advantage. Deepika sealed her hat-trick via another penalty corner to establish an 8-0 buffer heading into halftime.

In the third quarter, India extended their control as Deepika netted four more goals, all from penalty corners, taking her individual tally to seven. Ishika, Sakshi Rana, and Lalthantluangi also converted opportunities to take India to a 15-0 lead.

Navneet Kaur added her name to the scoresheet in the fourth quarter after relentless attacking play. Deepika finished the match with eight total goals, while Ishika recorded three. Neha and Lalthantluangi logged two apiece, alongside single strikes from Lalremsiami, Baljeet, Sakshi Rana, and Navneet Kaur as India’s women’s team started off with a win

Indian rifle team shines to confirm a medal

Away from the hockey, India’s women’s table tennis contingent enjoyed a smooth start, overcoming Indonesia 3-0 in their Group F fixture. Sreeja Akula, Diya Chitale, and Yashaswini Ghorpade posted straight-game wins to close out a comfortable tie.

In shooting, India secured a silver medal in the women’s 10m air rifle team competition at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. The trio of Elavenil Valarivan, Sonam Maskar, and Vidarsa Vinod averaged 1898 points to capture the nation’s inaugural medal of the Games on Sunday, placing second behind China. Elavenil topped the Indian scoresheet with 633.5 points to advance to the individual final alongside Sonam.

(With inputs from ANI)

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