Asian Games: India continue goal fest, this time against Indonesia

World No.8 India delivered a clinical attacking masterclass to crush 45th-ranked Indonesia 17–1 in their second Pool B match of the Asian Games.

Monday’s fixture at the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium in Kakamigahara also marked a historic milestone for India goalkeeper Savita Punia, who surpassed Vandana Katariya to become the most-capped Indian women’s hockey player with 321 internationals.

After hammering Uzbekistan 19-0 on Sunday, the Salima Tete-led team continued their goal fest as they played attacking but structured hockey under the watchful eyes of chief coach Sjoerd Marijne, who monitored the players from the dugout.

Indonesia goalkeeper Selly Florentina offered early resistance, especially in the fifth minute when she pulled off a brilliant save to deny Navneet Kaur on a rushed penalty stroke. However, India's relentless pressure quickly broke through.

Following a flurry of penalty corners (PC), India’s premier drag-flicker Deepika Sehrawat opened the scoring in the eighth minute, setting off an unstoppable barrage of goals which helped India surpass their 8–0 victory against the same opposition at the 2018 Jakarta Games — the last time the two teams met.

India systematically crowded the 23-metre line to force repeated circle entries, executing fluid attacking variations and testing different team combinations.

The stark contrast in speed and physical conditioning was evident throughout, reflecting the impact of sports scientist Wayne Lombard’s high-intensity fitness regime.

Deepika (8th, 28th, 40th), Rutuja Pisal Dadaso (15th, 20th, 38th) and Navneet (35th, 56th, 57th) scored hat-tricks. Sunelita Toppo (11th, 30th), Lalremsiami (12th, 16th), Sakshi Rana (25th, 57th) and Rutuja Pisal Dadaso (15th, 20th) scored a brace each while skipper Salima (34th) and Ishika (36th) scored a goal each.

Indonesia managed a brief moment of celebration in the 32nd minute when Innes Aditiya converted a penalty corner to score their sole goal of the match.

India immediately reignited their offensive surge. Salima struck followed by Navneet and Ishika Chaudhary in the third quarter. Despite briefly losing Ishika to a green card in the 35th minute and Rutuja to another in the 43rd, India’s structural discipline remained intact, with players falling back cohesively whenever Indonesia attempted to break out.

The match provided valuable live-game practice for India's penalty corner injectors and stoppers while allowing the team to maintain high possession and sharp passing drills under match conditions.

India will look to carry this momentum into their third group fixture against Thailand on Wednesday.