Asian Games: Deepika scores 9 as India crush Thailand 20-1 in women’s hockey

Gifu: India continued their dominant campaign in the women’s hockey competition at the 2026 Asian Games with another emphatic double-digit victory, thrashing Thailand 20-1 in their Pool B encounter at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Wednesday.

The victory extended India’s unbeaten start to the competition and kept the Sjoerd Marijne-coached side firmly at the top of the Pool B standings. It was India’s third consecutive win after they opened their campaign with a 19-0 rout of Uzbekistan and followed it with a 17-1 demolition of Indonesia.

Deepika was the star of the contest 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, repeatedly exploiting Thailand’s struggles in defending India’s set-piece threat.

Navneet Kaur scored four goals, while Rutuja Pisal completed a hat-trick. Neha, Lalremsiami, Sakshi Rana and captain Salima Tete also got on the scoresheet as India maintained relentless pressure throughout the match.

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 the back of the Indian net, giving Thailand their only goal of the match.

India’s latest win extended their remarkable scoring spree in Pool B. In their earlier 17-1 victory over Indonesia, Deepika, Rutuja and Navneet had each scored hat-tricks. Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami and Sakshi added two goals apiece, while Ishika and Salima also found the target.

India had taken some time to settle into the contest against Indonesia, but Deepika opened the scoring in the eighth minute after India earned four penalty corners in quick succession.

The Indian team will next face Japan on Friday, with another strong performance potentially further strengthening their position ahead of the knockout stages.

India are seeking to improve on their bronze-medal finish at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The team are also aiming to win their first Asian Games gold in women’s hockey since 1982, when India claimed the inaugural women’s hockey title at the Games on home soil.

With three successive victories and 56 goals scored in their opening matches, India have established themselves at the top of Pool B. Their defensive record has also remained strong, despite conceding once each against Indonesia and Thailand.

With IANS inputs