India’s men’s hockey team secured a place in the semifinals of the Men’s Under-18 Asia Cup 2026 after defeating Chinese Taipei 13-1 in their final Pool A match in Kakamigahara, Japan. Ashish Tani Purti played a key role in the victory by scoring a hat-trick.
India dominated the Pool A contest from start to finish and maintained an attacking approach throughout the match. With the win, India collected a total of nine points in the pool stage. The team had earlier registered victories against Kazakhstan and Korea, while suffering a defeat against hosts Japan.
India adopted an aggressive strategy from the opening minutes. Karan Gautam opened the scoring in the seventh minute by converting a penalty corner. Premchand Soy doubled the lead with a field goal in the 11th minute, before captain Ketan Kushwaha added a third goal in the 13th minute. India led 3-0 at the end of the first quarter.
India continued to dominate in the second quarter. Rahul Yadav scored the fourth goal in the 20th minute. Ashish Tani Purti converted a penalty corner in the 27th minute to make it 5-0. Siddharth Ben then added a field goal in the 30th minute to extend the lead. However, in additional time of the same minute, Chinese Taipei’s Yong-Jun Zhang converted a penalty corner to reduce the deficit to 6-1 at half-time.
India intensified its attacking play in the third quarter. Ashish Tani Purti converted another set-piece in the 35th minute to complete his hat-trick and make the score 7-1. Ghazi Khan scored from a penalty corner in the 40th minute, while Ashish added another penalty-corner goal in the 42nd minute. Ghazi Khan scored his second goal in the 44th minute as India extended the lead to 10-1.
India maintained its attacking momentum in the fourth quarter. Varinder Singh scored from a penalty corner in the 50th minute. Siddharth Ben netted his second goal in the 52nd minute, and Rahul Yadav scored his second goal of the match in the 54th minute to seal a 13-1 victory.
India’s campaign in the tournament has included wins over Kazakhstan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, with its only defeat coming against Japan. With nine points from four matches, India has confirmed its place in the semifinals.
