Kakamigahara, Japan, June 3, 2026: The Indian U-18 Men’s Hockey Team stormed into the semifinals of the U-18 Asia Cup 2026 with a dominant 13-1 victory over Chinese Taipei in their final Pool A match on Wednesday.
India finished the group stage with three wins from four matches, collecting nine points after victories over Kazakhstan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, with their only defeat coming against hosts Japan.
The star of the match was Ashish Tani Purti, who scored a brilliant hat-trick, while Gazee Khan, Siddharth Ben and Rahul Yadav netted two goals each. Karan Gautam, Premchand Soy, captain Ketan Kushwaha and Varinder Singh also found the scoresheet in a ruthless attacking display.
India took control early, racing to a 3-0 lead through Gautam, Premchand and Kushwaha in the opening quarter. Rahul Yadav and Purti extended the advantage before Siddharth struck just before halftime to make it 6-0. Chinese Taipei managed a consolation goal through Yong-Jyun Jhang, leaving the score at 6-1 at the break.
The second half was completely dominated by India. Purti completed his hat-trick, while Khan added a brace as India surged to a 10-1 lead by the end of the third quarter. Varinder, Siddharth and Yadav then added three more goals to complete the emphatic victory.
With the win, India secured a place in the semifinals scheduled for June 5 and will now await the outcome of the Japan-Kazakhstan clash to learn their next opponents.
