Asia Cup Hockey 2025: India romp into Super 4s with 15-0 crushing of Kazakhstan
India dominate in final Pool A clash at 2025 Asia Cup
India saved their best in the round-robin stages of the 2025 Asia Cup for their final match of the group, where they delivered one of the performances of the tournament so far, beating world number 87 Kazakhstan 15-0 and blowing away the betting odds for the match.
The star of the show for India was Abhishek, who scored four times for the team, while Sukhjeet Singh and Jugraj Singh also recorded hat-tricks. Skipper Harmanpreet Singh, Amit Rohidas, Sanjay and Dilpreet Singh were the rest of the players who got on the scoresheet in the lopsided demotion.
India captain Harmanpreet Singh is the second-highest scorer in the competition (7), two behind Malaysia's Akhimullah Anwar!
Perhaps what was most impressive about the team's performance was that they dominated and dictated the game from the off. They showed ruthlessness throughout the match and never stepped off the gas despite having the win secured at halftime when they were already up 7-0.
Former South African international and current head coach of the Indian team Craig Fulton praised his side for their clinical performance while also commending them for playing more freely against Kazakhstan than they did earlier in the competition. Fulton said in an interview following his side's victory on Monday:
“I think it was exactly what we needed. The front six did really well, a lot of guys scored goals, so it was a nice, difficult game because we've already got through, you know, on the first two games, but I'm glad we got no injuries, but guys are feeling good about the game.”
India's resounding victory over Kazakhstan sees them head into the Super 4s of the 2025 Asia Cup with a perfect record of three wins from three matches. Before beating the Kazakhs, they held off stern challenges against China and Japan to record 4-3 and 2-1 victories, respectively.
Asia Cup 2025 heads into Super 4s
With the group stage complete, we now know the teams that will feature in the Super 4s of the 2025 Asia Cup. Joining team India from Pool A will be second-placed China, while Malaysia and South Korea booked their places in the next round from Pool B.
India will face their sternest test of the competition in their next match when they meet the defending champions South Korea on Wednesday. Notably, despite being ranked seventh in the world compared to Korea in 15th, the betting odds suggest that a close contest is expected in this match.
Later in the Super 4s, India will lock horns with China for a second time, and, depending on results over the coming games, could meet the Chinese again in the final. In between then, Fulton and his side will also meet Malaysia in a battle of the table toppers from the group stage.
