New Delhi, 29 September (H.S.):

The Indian women’s hockey team will take on South Korea in the semi-final of the 2026 Asian Games on Wednesday, with the side aiming to end a 44-year wait and win its second Asian Games gold medal. The match will be played at the Kawasaki Jukyo Stadium in Japan.

India produced a dominant performance in Pool B, winning all five of its matches to finish at the top of the group. India defeated Uzbekistan 19-0, Indonesia 17-1 and Thailand 20-1. The team then overcame hosts Japan 3-1 in a closely contested encounter before concluding the pool stage with a 7-0 victory over Singapore.

South Korea, meanwhile, finished second in Pool A with four wins. Its only defeat came against China, which secured a 3-0 victory. South Korea, however, registered a comprehensive 8-0 win over Bangladesh.

For India, drag-flick specialist Deepika is the tournament’s leading scorer. She has netted 21 goals in five matches. Experienced forward Navneet Kaur is second on the team’s scoring chart with 10 goals, including seven from open play. Rutuja Dadaso Pisal has scored seven goals, while Lalremsiami and Ishika have contributed six and five goals, respectively.

India also has considerable strength in goal, with experienced goalkeeper Savita supported by Bichu Devi Kharibam. The Indian defence will have a crucial role to play in dealing with South Korea’s attacking threat in the semi-final. South Korean midfielder Seung-a Park has scored eight goals so far, making her a player India will need to watch closely.

Indian women’s team chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said the team has been training consistently to maintain its rhythm. He acknowledged that, apart from the match against Japan, the challenges during the pool stage had been relatively limited, but said the semi-final against South Korea would present a much tougher test.

The Indian women’s hockey team last won the Asian Games gold medal in 1982. The team is now just two victories away from reclaiming the continental title. The semi-final between India and South Korea will begin at 3:30 p.m. IST on Wednesday.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar