Kakamigahara , The troika of destructive young forward Deepika Sehrawat, Rutuja Dadaso Pisal and Navneet Kaur fired a hat-trick each as the Indian women’s hockey team hammered Indonesia 17-1 to register its second consecutive Pool B win at the Asian Games here on Monday.
The 22-year-old Deepika , who scored eight goals in India’s 19-0 drubbing of Uzbekistan in the lung-opener, converted three penalty corners, while Rutuja Dadaso Pisal found the net thrice from field play. Navneet’s goals came in the 35th, 56th and 57th minutes. In addition, Sunelita Toppo , Lalremsiami and Sakshi Rana , scored a brace each while skipper Salima Tete Ishika Chaudhary also found the net once. It was raining goals thereafter with Rutuja next to register her name on the score-sheet, pushing the ball in after Sakshi Rana’s attempt was saved.
Indonesia’s solitary goal was scored by Innes Aditiya in the 32nd minute. A minute later, Lalremsiami scored her second goal of the match from a field effort and then Rutuja followed suit, stretching full to guide home Neha’s pass. Two minutes after the change of ends, Indonesia pulled a goal back when Innes Aditiya scored from a penalty corner before India skipper Salima found the back of the net from a field try.
The team needs to win a gold to earn direct qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. India kept toying with the inexperienced Indonesian defence and scored goals at will to register their second consecutive resounding victory.
