India women's hockey team crushes Uzbekistan 19-0 at Asian

The Indian women's hockey team opened their Asian Games 2026 campaign with a record-shattering 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan in Kakamigahara on Saturday. Eight different players scored in the Pool B match, led by an eight-goal haul from penalty-corner specialist Deepika.

India's attack was relentless from the first whistle. Lalremsiami opened the scoring with a field goal in the 7th minute. Deepika doubled the lead a minute later. Ishika and Baljeet Kaur added goals in the 11th and 12th minutes, respectively, giving India a 4-0 lead at the first break.

Dominant Second Quarter

The onslaught continued in the second period. Neha scored in the 18th minute. Deepika then converted a penalty corner in the 22nd minute. Navneet Kaur found the net in the 23rd minute. Deepika struck again from a penalty corner two minutes later. India led 8-0 at halftime.

Deepika's Goal-Scoring Blitz

The third quarter belonged almost entirely to Deepika. She scored four consecutive goals from penalty corners between the 33rd and 41st minutes. That took her personal tally to seven. Ishika scored her second goal in the 42nd minute. Lalthantluangi and Sakshi Rana then scored in the 43rd minute. Navneet Kaur completed her brace just before the quarter ended, pushing the score to 16-0.

Closing the Record Win

India did not ease up in the final quarter. Lalthantluangi converted a penalty stroke in the 51st minute. Ishika completed her hat-trick in the 54th minute. Deepika capped her extraordinary performance with an eighth goal, a field strike, later in the same minute to seal the 19-0 result.

The match also marked a major milestone for veteran goalkeeper Savita. She made her 320th senior international appearance. That draws her level with former striker Vandana Katariya for the most caps by an Indian woman hockey player.

India's next match in Pool B is against Indonesia on Sunday. The team will carry massive momentum from this historic opening performance.