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