Asian Games 2026: How Deepika Sehrawat pumped a record 8 goals past hapless Uzbekistan

Deepika Sehrawat scored a record breaking eight goals as the Indian women's hockey team routed Uzbekistan 19-0 at their 2026 Asian Games campaign opener on Sunday.

The 22-year-old from Hisar is now the highest individual goal scorer in a women's international hockey match.

Deepika, who made a return to the Indian team after a long injury lay-off during their victorious FIH Women's Nations Cup campaign earlier this year, scored her first in the eighth minute of the match via open play.

The forward was left unmarked and rushed into the circle with relative ease, before unleashing a powerful drive in what was just a little glimpse of what was to come next.

In the second quarter, India missed failed to convert four consecutive penalty corners in the first five minutes as the Uzbekistan penalty corner defence looked impenetrable. The stubborn defence held only until coach Sjoerd Marijne introduced his ace.

Deepika wasted no time as she placed a powerful shot to low left of the goalkeeper to score on her very first attempt with the drag flick.

Four minutes later, she found herself again on the scoresheet as yet another dragflick took multiple Uzbekistani deflections to roll into the net. It was the hat-trick; but there was more to come.

The third quarter is where Deepika was at her lethal best. In a span of eight minutes, she netted four more goals – all penalty corners – as India put the match past Uzbekistan and felt within reach of bettering their biggest-ever win.

The first of those was probably the best of the lot. Having received the ball at top of the circle, Deepika picked the bones out it. It beat the goalkeeper to the top-right corner.

The remaining three felt routine with barely any celebrations from Deepika, who was now in a zen mode.

When she returned to the field in the final quarter after a bit of rest, Deepika closed it off just like she had started the day. A nicely played drive from open play, bamboozling the already deflated Uzbekistan defence in the 54th minute.

Deepika's heroics helped India to their third-best Asian Games win in history in what was their first-ever clash against a much lower ranked Uzbekistan. 

The Indian women will return to the field next on Monday, going up against another lower ranked opponents in Indonesia.