The Indian hockey team’s dream run culminated in a gold medal as they registered a thumping victory over Japan in the finals at the Asian Games. With this victory, the Indian hockey team has sealed its berth for the next Olympics, scheduled to take place in Paris in 2024.
This marked the fourth gold medal for the Indian men’s hockey team at the Asian Games, following their victories in the 1966 and 1988 editions held in Bangkok and Incheon in 2014.
The Indian team showcased a dominant performance, netting a total of five goals while their opponents only managed to score once. This is one of the most dominating performances by the Indian hockey team in the finals of a multination tournament.
India’s leading scorer was Harmanpreet Singh, efficiently converting two penalty corners in the 32nd and 59th minutes. The first goal, however, was credited to Manpreet Singh in the 25th minute. Amit Rohidas added another goal from a penalty corner in the 36th minute, and Abhishek secured a field goal in the 48th minute.
India commenced its journey in the Asian Games with a commanding victory over Uzbekistan, triumphing with an impressive 16-0 scoreline. The momentum continued as they secured wins against Singapore with a score of 16-1, Japan with 4-2, and arch-rivals Pakistan with a dominant 10-2. Subsequently, they vanquished Bangladesh with a decisive 12-0 victory and proceeded to conquer South Korea in the semi-finals, emerging victorious with a score of 5-3 against their Asian counterparts.
