Deepika Sehrawat produced a record-breaking performance as the India women’s hockey team began their 2026 Asian Games campaign with a commanding 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan.
Deepika scored eight goals, setting a new record for the most goals by a women’s hockey player in a single match at the Asian Games. She was particularly effective from penalty corners, repeatedly finding the target with powerful drag-flicks.
Her goals came in the 8th, 22nd, 25th, 33rd, 36th, 38th, 41st and 54th minutes, with most coming from penalty-corner opportunities.
India dominate from start to finish
India controlled the contest throughout all four quarters, putting the Uzbekistan defence under sustained pressure. The team repeatedly earned penalty corners and capitalised on its set-piece opportunities.
Deepika emerged as the biggest threat whenever India won a penalty corner, combining power and accuracy to breach the Uzbek defence repeatedly.
The result reflected India’s dominance, with the team scoring freely while keeping Uzbekistan from settling into the contest.
India fall short of biggest Asian Games win
Despite the emphatic victory, India narrowly missed out on creating their biggest-ever winning margin in Asian Games hockey.
The 19-0 victory is India’s third-biggest win in Asian Games history. Their biggest came in 1982, when India defeated Hong Kong 22-0 in New Delhi. Their second-biggest win was a 21-0 victory over Kazakhstan in 2018 in Jakarta.
India entered the final quarter with a 16-0 advantage and had an opportunity to challenge the 22-goal record. However, they added only three more goals in the final 15 minutes.
Apart from Deepika’s record-breaking display, Ishika also completed a hat-trick, adding to India’s dominant performance.
The result gives Salima Tete’s side a strong start to their Asian Games campaign, while Deepika’s eight-goal haul has already entered the tournament’s women’s hockey record books.
