Daijiworld Media Network - Gifu
Gifu, Sep 23: India continued their dominant campaign in the women's hockey competition at the 2026 Asian Games, recording their third consecutive victory with a resounding 20-1 win over Thailand in their Pool B encounter at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Wednesday.
The emphatic victory kept the Sjoerd Marijne-coached Indian side at the top of the Pool B standings and extended their unbeaten start to the tournament.
India had opened their campaign with a 19-0 rout of Uzbekistan before defeating Indonesia 17-1.
Deepika was the star of the match against Thailand, scoring nine goals in a remarkable individual performance. The forward and drag-flick specialist converted all nine of her goals from penalty corners as India repeatedly exploited Thailand's vulnerability to set-piece situations.
Navneet Kaur scored four goals, while Rutuja Pisal completed a hat-trick. Neha, Lalremsiami, Sakshi Rana and captain Salima Tete also found the target as India maintained sustained pressure throughout the match.
Thailand managed to find the net only late in the fourth quarter. Supansa Samanso's drag-flick from a penalty corner took a slight deflection before entering the Indian goal, giving Thailand its only goal of the match.
India's latest win further extended their impressive scoring run in Pool B. In their previous match against Indonesia, Deepika, Rutuja and Navneet had scored hat-tricks in the 17-1 victory. Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami and Sakshi scored two goals each, while Ishika and Salima also got on the scoresheet.
India had taken some time to settle against Indonesia, but Deepika opened the scoring in the eighth minute after the team earned four penalty corners in quick succession.
India will next take on Japan on Friday as they continue their campaign for a place in the knockout stages.
The Indian women's team is looking to better its bronze-medal finish at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. It is also aiming to win its first Asian Games women's hockey gold since 1982, when India claimed the inaugural women's hockey title at the Games on home soil.
With three wins from three matches and 56 goals scored so far, India have made a strong start to their Pool B campaign. They have also maintained a solid defensive record, conceding only one goal each against Indonesia and Thailand.