Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 24 (ANI): Indian ladies’s hockey participant Deepika Sehrawat credited her constant drag-flicking and centered preparation for her spectacular goal-scoring run on the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026, saying the workforce’s consideration stays on sustaining their fashion of play forward of the more durable matches.
Deepika Sehrawat has already scored 20 objectives in three matches for the Indian ladies’s hockey workforce on the Asian Games 2026. She netted a file 9 objectives in opposition to Thailand on Wednesday, changing into the primary Indian girl hockey participant to attain 9 objectives in a single Asian Games match.
India’s ladies’s hockey workforce continued its goal-scoring spree on the Asian Games, thrashing Thailand 20-1 of their Pool B match on the Kawasaki Juko Stadium. While Deepika led the cost with 9 objectives, Navneet Kaur scored 4 and Rutuja Dadaso Pisal added three. Lalremsiami, Neha, Sakshi and Salima Tete additionally discovered the online as India registered their third consecutive emphatic victory within the competitors.
Thailand’s solely aim got here by way of Samanso Supansa within the 57th minute.
In a video uploaded by Hockey India on X, Deepika mentioned her drag-flicking has been going easily and attributed her success to the steerage offered by the teaching employees earlier than each recreation.
“It’s just that my drag-flicking is going very smoothly right now. I feel relaxed about it, and my focus is sharp. Before every match, Coach decides where to aim and shows us how to beat the first rushers, so I think that makes things a lot easier. We have tough matches lined up ahead, so let’s see-all the preparation is aimed towards those games,’ she said.
The Indian team will next face hosts Japan on Friday before taking on Singapore on Sunday in their remaining Pool B matches.
Deepika said Japan are a strong side but stressed that India’s focus will remain on their own game. She said the team needs to continue converting chances, maintain discipline, push up in defence, attack and defend as a unit, and stick to their brand of hockey to secure victory.
“Japan is undoubtedly a powerful aspect, however greater than focusing an excessive amount of on them, we have to deal with ourselves. Just as we have been changing probabilities, we have to maintain scoring objectives like that, keep disciplined and push up in protection, assault as a whole unit, and defend as a whole workforce. They are workforce, definitely, but when we stick with our model of hockey and play our personal recreation, we will certainly win that match,’ she added.
India had earlier opened their marketing campaign with a 19-0 win over Uzbekistan, with Deepika scoring eight objectives and Ishika finishing a hat-trick. They adopted it up with a 17-goal efficiency in opposition to Indonesia earlier than including 20 in opposition to Thailand. (ANI)