India thrash Bangladesh to set up Asian Games hockey semi-final with Pakistan

India reached the men’s hockey semi-finals at the 2026 Asian Games after completing their Pool A campaign with a 10-0 victory over Bangladesh in Kakamigahara on Monday. The defending champions won all five of their group matches and finished top of the pool with a goal difference of plus 45. Their reward is a semi-final against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 1.

Malaysia will face South Korea in the other semi-final. India had already secured a place in the last four before the Bangladesh match, but continued to attack despite heavy rain and a waterlogged pitch that delayed the start by 30 minutes. Abhishek opened the scoring in the third minute with a reverse-hit after Sanjay created the opportunity.

Jugraj Singh doubled the lead from a penalty stroke in the 22nd minute, before Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty corner in the 27th. India extended their advantage after half-time. Sukhjeet Singh scored in the 32nd minute, and Harmanpreet added goals in the 40th and 45th minutes to complete his hat-trick.

Shilanand Lakra scored twice in the 44th and 45th minutes, while Sanjay and Mandeep Singh completed the scoring in the final two minutes. India’s route to the semi-finals included wins over Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh. The team has scored heavily while conceding very little during the pool stage.

The Pakistan match will be a rematch of the teams’ World Cup meeting in Amstelveen last month, when India won 5-3. India led that match through goals from Harmanpreet and Abhishek before Pakistan responded through Hannan Shahid and Sufyan Khan. The semi-final winner will advance to the gold-medal match.

The Asian Games title also carries importance because it is linked in the source material to qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.