Indian Mens Hockey Team Dominates Indonesia 13-1 in Asian Games Opener

Nagoya, September 20 (Daily Kiran) : The Indian men's hockey team kicked off their Asian Games 2026 campaign with an impressive 13-1 victory against Indonesia in their opening match on September 20 in Nagoya. This win marked a strong start for India as they aim to defend their title. Eight players contributed to the scoring, with Dilpreet Singh leading the charge by netting four goals.India established an early lead when Shilanand Lakra converted a rebound from a saved drag flick by Harmanpreet Singh in the sixth minute. Abhishek doubled the lead in the 12th minute, allowing India to finish the first quarter with a 2-0 advantage. In the second quarter, Dilpreet Singh opened his account with goals in the 18th and 19th minutes. Rajinder Singh also scored in the 19th minute, followed by Mandeep Singh in the 21st minute. Harmanpreet Singh added another with a penalty corner strike in the 28th minute, bringing India's halftime lead to 7-0.Indonesia managed to score their first goal at the start of the third quarter when captain Aulia Al Ard converted a penalty corner in the 33rd minute, following a video referral decision. This brought the score to 7-1. India quickly responded, with Shilanand Lakra scoring his second goal in the 35th minute and Dilpreet Singh completing his hat trick in the 37th minute. Sukjeet Singh added another goal in the 38th minute, extending India's lead to 10-1 by the end of the third quarter.Continuing their aggressive play, Jugraj Singh scored from India's second penalty corner in the 47th minute. Sukjeet Singh then found the net again in the 48th minute. Dilpreet Singh capped off the scoring with his fourth goal in the 49th minute, bringing the final score to 13-1 in favor of India. The Indian team is set to face Sri Lanka next on September 22.