Jakarta: India stormed into the Super 4 of the 12th Men’s Hockey Asia Cup with a commanding 15-0 win over Kazakhstan in their final Pool A encounter. Having already secured qualification with hard-fought victories over China and Japan, the defending champions produced their most dominant performance yet, recording both their biggest win of the tournament and their third consecutive victory.
Star striker Abhishek led the charge with four goals, including a first-half hat-trick, while Sukhjeet Singh and Jugraj Singh also notched hat-tricks of their own. Captain and drag-flick specialist Harmanpreet Singh, along with Amit Rohidas, Rajinder Singh, Sanjay, and Dilpreet Singh, added one goal each to complete India’s rout.
Kazakhstan attempted to resist by lifting the ball out of their circle, but Indian forwards intercepted with ease, turning every opportunity into relentless counter-attacks. By the end of the first quarter, India were already 3-0 up, thanks to Abhishek’s early brace and a Sukhjeet strike. Abhishek completed his hat-trick in the second quarter, with Jugraj, Rohidas, and others extending the lead. The final whistle saw Abhishek scoring his fourth, sealing the emphatic 15-0 triumph.
Elsewhere in Pool A, China held Japan to a 2-2 draw but advanced to the Super 4 on goal difference (+11), courtesy of their earlier 13-0 win over Kazakhstan. Japan, despite equalizing twice through Kazumasa Matsumoto, failed to capitalize on late chances and now face the prospect of playing qualifiers to book a spot at the 2026 World Cup in the Netherlands and Belgium.
In Pool B, Malaysia thrashed Chinese Taipei 15-0 to top the group with nine points. Akhimullah Anuar struck five times, Ashran Hamsani netted four, and Sumantri Noorfaiz scored a hat-trick, marking the tournament’s biggest win alongside India’s victory. South Korea secured the second Super 4 spot from the group with a 5-1 win over Bangladesh, finishing with six points and a +8 goal difference.
With India, China, Malaysia, and South Korea sealing their berths, the stage is now set for an exciting Super 4 battle in Jakarta, where the tournament’s best will compete for a place in the final.
