Savita becomes India’s most-capped woman player as hockey team crush Indonesia 17-1

Nagoya: The Indian women’s hockey team continued its relentless start to the Asian Games, cruising to another big win as it eyes a first gold at the Games since 1982.At the Gifu Prefectural Green Stadium on Monday, India routed Indonesia 17-1, following Sunday’s 19-0 demolition of Uzbekistan in the campaign opener. A similar outing is expected against Thailand on Wednesday before India face their first serious test against hosts Japan on Friday.Deepika opened the scoring in the eighth minute and went on to add two more goals. Rutuja Pisal and Navneet Kaur also scored three goals apiece, while Sunelita Toppo, Lalremsiami and Sakshi Rana contributed two each. Ishika and skipper Salima Tete were the other scorers as eight Indian players sounded the boards.Asian Games Full Coverage | Schedule| Medal TallySavita becomes most-capped playerThe day also belonged to seasoned goalkeeper Savita, who became India’s most-capped woman player. Monday’s game was her 321st appearance for the national team, taking her past Vandana Katariya’s tally of 320.Savita, who made her Asian Games debut in Jakarta in 2018, is making her fourth and last appearance at the continental Games.While the one-sided wins have provided an ideal start, they also present a challenge of adapting quickly to a higher level of competition as the tournament progresses.“The difference in quality is just too big,” chief coach Sjoerd Marijne told TOI. “I think it will be the same against Thailand and then we have to be ready for Japan. I’ve told the girls, just stay in rhythm, keep working on your basic skills, get used to the pitch and play our game.”Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.