India's U-18 men's hockey team stormed into the U-18 Asia Cup 2026 semifinals with a dominant 13-1 win over Chinese Taipei in Kakamigahara, Japan. Ashish Tani Purti starred with a hat-trick, while Gazee Khan, Siddharth Ben and Rahul Yadav scored braces. India finished Pool A with three wins from four matches and nine points.
Kakamigahara: The Indian U-18 Men’s Hockey Team produced a clinical display against Chinese Taipei, registering a commanding 13-1 victory in its last Pool A match of the U-18 Asia Cup 2026 in Kakamigahara, Japan, on Wednesday. The emphatic win ensured India sealed their place in the semifinals.
India ended their pool engagements with wins against Kazakhstan, Korea and Chinese Taipei, while losing to hosts Japan. It gave them nine points from four matches.
The team’s attacking prowess was on full display against Chinese Taipei, with Ashish Tani Purti as the standout performer with his hat-trick (27', 35', 42'), while Gazee Khan (40', 44'), Siddharth Ben (30', 52') and Rahul Yadav (20', 54') each struck twice. Meanwhile, Karan Gautam (7'), Premchand Soy (11'), captain Ketan Kushwaha (13') and Varinder Singh (50') also contributed to the tally.
India made their intentions clear from the outset, dictating the tempo with incisive play that constantly troubled the Chinese Taipei defence. They broke the deadlock in the seventh minute as Karan converted India's first penalty corner of the match.
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