India Hammer Bangladesh 10-0, Set Up Asian Games Hockey Semi-final Against Pakistan

Kakamigahara: India completed a perfect Pool A campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with a 10-0 win over Bangladesh on Monday, overcoming heavy rain and a waterlogged pitch to register their fifth consecutive victory.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick while Shilanand Lakra struck twice as the defending champions finished at the top of Pool A with a goal difference of +45. India will now face arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-final on October 1, while Malaysia will take on South Korea in the other last-four clash.

The match was played in difficult conditions after persistent rain left the pitch waterlogged and made ball movement and player mobility challenging. The start was also delayed by 30 minutes after heavy rain interrupted the Pakistan-Oman match earlier in the day.

India, however, adapted quickly and opened the scoring in the third minute. Sanjay created space inside the Bangladesh circle and found Abhishek, who shifted to his left before sending a trademark reverse hit past the goalkeeper.

Bangladesh had an opportunity to level the contest when they earned a penalty corner in the 12th minute, but goalkeeper Suraj Karkera kept out Amirul Islam’s drag-flick. India thought they had earned another penalty corner shortly afterwards, but Bangladesh successfully overturned the decision through a video referral.

The second quarter saw the rain intensify, making the pitch increasingly difficult to negotiate. India doubled their lead in the 22nd minute when a penalty corner eventually resulted in a penalty stroke after Jugraj Singh’s drag-flick struck the foot of a defender on the post. Jugraj converted confidently to make it 2-0.

India continued to press despite the conditions and extended their lead in the 27th minute. Mandeep Singh won another penalty corner after an aerial ball reached him inside the circle, and Harmanpreet made no mistake with his powerful flick to send India into half-time 3-0 ahead.

India stepped up the pressure after the break. Dilpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh combined with quick passes in the 32nd minute to beat the Bangladesh defence, leaving Sukhjeet with an open goal for India’s fourth.

Harmanpreet then added his second in the 40th minute after Vivek Sagar Prasad created another penalty corner. His drag-flick found the net to put India 5-0 ahead.

Shilanand took over in the closing stages of the third quarter, scoring in the 44th and 45th minutes to stretch the lead to 7-0. Harmanpreet completed his hat-trick moments later from another penalty corner, sending his flick through the legs of the rusher as India ended the quarter with an 8-0 advantage.

The rain became heavier in the final quarter, further disrupting the flow of the game. India nevertheless continued to create chances and found two more goals late in the match.

Sanjay made it 9-0 in the 59th minute with a precise aerial drag-flick from a penalty corner. Mandeep then completed the scoring in the final minute after Sukhjeet’s effort was blocked by the Bangladesh goalkeeper, with Mandeep converting the rebound.

The 10-0 victory capped a dominant Pool A campaign for India, who had earlier defeated Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan and South Korea. With five wins from five matches, the defending champions now have a two-day break before their semi-final against Pakistan on October 1.