Rajgir (Bihar): India entered the Super-4 of the Asia Cup Hockey Tournament with the top position in Pool A by defeating Kazakhstan 15-0 in a one-sided match. India had confirmed its ticket to the Super Four even before the match started, but the team secured the top position in Pool A after this big win. Abhishek (5th, 8th, 20th and 59th minutes), Sukhjeet Singh (15th, 32nd, 38th), Jugraj Singh (24th, 31st, 47th) were among the hat-trick scorers for India while captain Harmanpreet Singh (26th), Amit Rohidas (29th), Rajinder Singh (32nd), Sanjay Singh (54th), Dilpreet Singh (55th) scored hat-tricks to ensure the team's victory.
India had defeated China and Japan in their first two matches. Along with India, China also managed to qualify for the Super Four from this pool, while Malaysia and Korea are the teams to reach the next stage from Pool B. All four teams will play each other in the next stage of the tournament and the top two teams will qualify for Sunday's final.
Abhishek scored the first goal for India
After a few minutes of the opening game, Sukhjeet intercepted the ball in Kazakhstan's half and passed it to Abhishek, who opened India's account with a reverse shot from the top of the circle. Three minutes later, Abhishek scored the second goal using a forehand from the same spot. The Indian team earned its first penalty corner just before the end of the first quarter but Harmanpreet's effort was saved by Kazakhstan goalkeeper Yerzhan Yelubayev. Sukhjeet, however, scored on the subsequent free hit by controlling Abhishek's pass. Kazakhstan also got a penalty corner, but they could not take advantage of it.
India got their second penalty corner in the 18th minute, but Harmanpreet was unlucky as his flick hit the post. Abhishek completed his hat-trick soon after by scoring from a difficult angle on a pass from Harmanpreet. Kazakhstan got their second penalty corner but the Indians made a brilliant save. India got another penalty corner in the 23rd minute of the match and Jugraj made no mistake in making the score 5-0. A few minutes later, India got another penalty corner and this time Harmanpreet did not miss it. Dilpreet, however, missed an easy chance to score but a minute before the interval, Rohidas registered his name on the scoresheet by converting another set piece into a goal.
Team India became more aggressive after half time
After half time, India strengthened its hold on the match and Jugraj converted a penalty stroke into a goal to put India ahead by 8-0. In this half, the ball remained near the goal post of Kazakhstan for most of the time. Rajinder and Sukhjeet continued to score goals and gave the team a lead of 10 goals. Jugraj completed his hat-trick by converting a penalty stroke into a goal before Sanjay converted a penalty corner in the fourth quarter. Dilpreet Singh also got his name on the scoresheet before Abhishek scored his fourth goal a minute before the final hooter to seal a crushing defeat for Kazakhstan.
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