India entered the tournament with confidence after securing a historic fifth-place finish at the FIH Hockey Women’s World Cup 2026, their best-ever result at the competition in more than five decades.

Kakamigahara City, Sep 20: The India women's hockey team began their Asian Games 2026 campaign with a dominant 19-0 win over Uzbekistan in their Pool B opener at Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Sunday.

India begin with big win

Deepika was the star of the match, scoring a whopping eight goals. Ishika scored three, while Lalthantluangi and Neha each bagged two. Baljeet Kaur, Navneet Kaur, Lalremsiami and Sakshi Rana each scored one.

The match marked Savita Punia's 320th senior international cap. She joined Vandana Katariya as the joint-most capped Indian women's hockey player. Meanwhile, Baljeet completed her 50th senior international cap.