Deepika Sehrawat produced a record-breaking performance as the India women’s hockey team opened its Asian Games 2026 campaign with a commanding 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan on Sunday.
Deepika was the star of the contest, scoring eight goals to set a new Asian Games record for the most goals by a female player in a single match. Her goals came in the 8th, 22nd, 25th, 33rd, 36th, 38th, 41st and 54th minutes.
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Five of her eight goals came from penalty corners as India repeatedly exposed Uzbekistan’s defensive weaknesses. The emphatic victory also highlighted India’s efficiency from set pieces and their attacking depth.
India started aggressively and took the lead in the sixth minute through Lalremsiami, who finished a rebound after Navneet Kaur’s initial attempt was saved. Deepika then doubled the advantage with a powerful strike from the right before Ishika added another after receiving a pass from Sunelita.
Baljeet converted a rebound to make it 4-0 by the end of the opening quarter.
India continued their relentless attack in the second quarter. Neha found the net with a reverse-hit before Deepika converted a penalty corner for her second goal of the match. Rutuja then scored from a rebound, while Deepika completed her first hat-trick with another penalty-corner conversion.
India went into halftime with an 8-0 advantage.
The third quarter belonged almost entirely to Deepika. She scored four more times, all from penalty corners, taking her individual tally to seven. Ishika, Sakshi Rana and Lalthantluangi also got on the scoresheet as India stretched their lead to 15-0.
India continued to press in the final quarter. Navneet Kaur added another goal before Deepika completed her extraordinary eight-goal performance. Ishika also completed her hat-trick, while Lalthantluangi and Neha added further goals to complete the 19-0 scoreline.
Deepika finished with eight goals, while Ishika contributed three. Neha and Lalthantluangi scored twice each, with Lalremsiami, Baljeet, Sakshi Rana and Navneet Kaur adding one goal apiece.
Speaking after the match, Deepika’s father Jagdish Sehrawat expressed pride in his daughter but stressed that the result was primarily a team achievement. He said the players’ coordination and overall performance were responsible for the emphatic victory.
He also backed India’s chances of challenging for the gold medal but acknowledged that tougher tests await the team, including encounters against strong sides such as Olympic medallists China.
Deepika’s brother Pravesh also underlined the importance of the collective effort, saying that while an individual record was special, hockey remained a team sport.
India’s 19-0 victory gives them a strong start to their Asian Games campaign and provides an early indication of their attacking strength. With Deepika in exceptional form and the team showing considerable efficiency from penalty corners, India will now turn their attention to the tougher matches ahead.
Excerpt
Deepika Sehrawat scored a record eight goals as India crushed Uzbekistan 19-0 in their Asian Games 2026 opener, delivering a dominant attacking display.
