India’s women’s hockey team has made a strong start to its campaign at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The team is aiming to reach the final and compete for the gold medal in the tournament.
India began its Pool B campaign with a commanding 19–0 victory over Uzbekistan. Deepika Sehrawat was the star of the match, scoring eight goals as India produced a dominant performance.
The Indian team continued its impressive run against Indonesia on September 21, securing another big victory with a 17–1 scoreline. Several Indian players contributed to the win as the team maintained its attacking approach.
India is placed in Pool B alongside Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Singapore. The team is scheduled to face Thailand on September 23, Japan on September 25 and Singapore on September 27.
The Indian women’s team is led by captain Salima Tete and is coached by Sjoerd Marijne. The team enters the Asian Games after finishing fifth at the 2026 FIH Women’s Hockey World Cup, its best World Cup finish in more than five decades.
India won the women’s hockey gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games but has not returned to the top of the podium since then. The team won bronze at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The knockout stage is scheduled after the pool matches, with the semi-finals set for September 30. The women’s gold-medal match is scheduled for October 2 in Aichi-Nagoya.
With strong victories in their opening matches, India have made a positive start to their campaign. The team will now look to maintain its form in the remaining pool matches before the knockout stage.