The Indian women’s hockey team demolished Indonesia 17-1 in their second Pool B fixture, while the Indian men’s kabaddi team opened its Asian Games title defence with a resounding 49-24 triumph over hosts Japan on Monday.

Rampant Attack Powers Women’s Hockey to Second Massive Win

Building on their sensational 19-0 opening victory against Uzbekistan, the Indian women showcased overwhelming offensive firepower from the start. Although Navneet Kaur had a fourth-minute penalty stroke saved by the Indonesian goalkeeper, India broke the deadlock in the eighth minute when Deepika Sehrawat executed a crisp penalty corner. Deepika proved unstoppable, completing a sensational hat-trick with additional penalty corner strikes in the 28th and 40th minutes, extending her tournament goal tally to 11.

India maintained relentless pressure throughout the contest, entering the half-time break with a massive 9-0 cushion. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal put on a brilliant display of field goals, scoring in the 15th, 20th, and 38th minutes to register her hat-trick. Navneet Kaur rebounded spectacularly from her early stroke miss to seal her own hat-trick with goals in the 35th, 56th, and 57th minutes.

The offensive blitz featured double strikes from Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami, and Sakshi Rana, while team captain Salima Tete and Ishika Chaudhary added a goal apiece. Indonesia netted a solitary consolation goal in the 32nd minute through Innes Aditiya’s penalty corner conversion. The Indian women now turn their attention to Wednesday’s Pool B encounter against Thailand.

Men’s Kabaddi Squad Dominates Hosts Japan

The celebration continued on the kabaddi mat as the defending champion Indian men’s team launched their Group A campaign with a commanding 25-point victory over Japan. Taking early command of the mat, India surged to an insurmountable 31-9 lead by half-time, driven by brilliant raiding performances from Ayan Lohchab and Devank Dalal.

India collected 36 points through successful outs, eight from all-outs, and two from super tackles in a dominant kabaddi performance.

Japan struggled to mount a comeback in the second period as India added 18 more points to lock in the 49-24 win. Placed in Group A alongside Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, and Bangladesh, India will face South Korea in their next group fixture on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Indian women’s kabaddi team is scheduled to kick off its gold medal defence against Bangladesh later on Monday.