Gifu: India continued their dominant run in the women’s hockey competition at the 2026 Asian Games, producing another emphatic double-digit victory as they thrashed Thailand 20-1 in their Pool B encounter at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Wednesday.
The result extended India’s unbeaten start to the competition and kept the Sjoerd Marijne-coached side firmly at the top of the pool standings. It was also India’s third successive victory after they began their campaign with a 19-0 rout of Uzbekistan before following it up with a 17-1 demolition of Indonesia.
Deepika was the standout performer against Thailand, finding the net nine times in a remarkable individual display. The forward and drag-flick specialist converted all nine of her goals from penalty corners, repeatedly exposing Thailand’s difficulty in dealing with India’s set-piece threat.
Navneet Kaur added four goals, while Rutuja Pisal completed a hat-trick. Neha, Lalremsiami, Sakshi Rana and captain Salima Tete were also on the scoresheet as India maintained relentless pressure throughout the contest.
Thailand managed to avoid a clean sheet only late in the fourth quarter. Supansa Samanso’s drag-flick from a penalty corner took a slight deflection before finding its way into the Indian goal, providing Thailand with its solitary goal of the match.
India’s latest victory continued a remarkable scoring spree in the Pool B campaign. Against Indonesia earlier in the competition, Deepika, Rutuja and Navneet had each scored hat-tricks in the 17-1 victory. Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami and Sakshi contributed two goals apiece, while Ishika and Salima also found the target. (IANS)
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