Captain Harmanpreet Singh scored a hat-trick, while Shilanand Lakra struck twice as the defending champions dominated despite heavy rain and difficult playing conditions.

The comprehensive victory set up a high-profile semi-final against arch-rivals Pakistan on October 1. The other semi-final will see Malaysia take on South Korea.

India entered the final Pool A game having already established themselves as one of the leading teams in the competition. Their victory over Bangladesh ensured they ended the group stage unbeaten, with wins over Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Japan, South Korea and Bangladesh.

India dominate despite heavy rain

The match was played under challenging weather conditions, with persistent rain leaving the pitch waterlogged and making it difficult for both teams to move the ball quickly.

The start of the match was delayed by 30 minutes after the Pakistan-Oman game was temporarily suspended because of heavy rain. The disruption forced organisers to adjust the schedule for the matches that followed.

Despite the difficult surface, India adapted better to the conditions and immediately looked to establish control.

India opened the scoring as early as the third minute. Sanjay played an important role in the attacking move before finding Abhishek inside the Bangladesh circle. Abhishek shifted slightly to his left and unleashed his trademark reverse hit, sending the ball beyond the Bangladesh goalkeeper to give India a 1-0 lead.

Bangladesh had a chance to respond in the 12th minute when they earned a penalty corner. Amirul Islam produced a decent drag-flick, but India goalkeeper Suraj Karkera remained alert and kicked the ball away.

India appeared to have earned another penalty corner in the 15th minute, but Bangladesh successfully used its video referral to overturn the decision.

There was also a brief injury concern involving Abhishek, who received attention from the Indian physio before returning to the pitch.

Harmanpreet converts penalty opportunities

The rain intensified at the start of the second quarter, further affecting the playing surface. India continued to press forward and eventually doubled their lead in the 22nd minute.

Mandeep Singh was blocked by Bangladesh defenders inside the circle, resulting in a penalty corner for India. Jugraj Singh’s drag-flick struck the foot of a defender positioned on the post, prompting the umpire to award a penalty stroke.

Jugraj took responsibility and calmly converted the opportunity to put India 2-0 ahead.

India continued to create pressure despite the increasingly difficult conditions. In the 27th minute, an aerial ball into the Bangladesh circle found Mandeep, who cleverly created another penalty corner.

Harmanpreet stepped up and produced a powerful flick that beat the Bangladesh defence, giving India a 3-0 lead at half-time.

The Indian captain’s contribution would become even more significant as the match progressed.

India turn dominance into a seven-goal lead

India increased their advantage shortly after the restart. In the 32nd minute, Dilpreet Singh and Sukhjeet Singh combined with quick touches to break through the Bangladesh defence.

The move left the Bangladesh goalkeeper exposed, allowing Sukhjeet to guide the ball into an open goal and make it 4-0.

Sukhjeet came close to scoring again in the 37th minute after combining with Shilanand Lakra, but the Bangladesh defence reacted quickly to prevent another goal.

A minute later, Harmanpreet narrowly missed the target with an aerial flick from a penalty corner.

India eventually found their fifth goal in the 40th minute. Vivek Sagar Prasad created the penalty-corner opportunity before Harmanpreet stepped up once again. His drag-flick found the back of the net to make it 5-0.

Shilanand then took centre stage.

The forward scored twice in quick succession in the 44th and 45th minutes to take India’s advantage to 7-0. India earned another penalty corner in the 45th minute, and Harmanpreet completed his hat-trick.

His flick travelled through the legs of the rusher and into the goal as India ended the third quarter with an imposing 8-0 lead.

Two late goals complete 10-0 rout

The heavy rain continued into the final quarter, leaving the pitch even more waterlogged. The conditions affected the rhythm of the game and led to several unforced errors as both teams struggled to move the ball at speed.

India, however, continued to search for more goals.

In the penultimate minute, Sanjay stepped forward to take a penalty corner and produced a precise aerial drag-flick that found the back of the net.

With the clock running down, India added a tenth goal in the 60th minute.

A defensive lapse allowed Sukhjeet an opportunity, but his effort was blocked by the Bangladesh goalkeeper. The rebound fell to Mandeep Singh, who made no mistake from close range to complete India’s double-digit victory.

The 10-0 result gave India a goal difference of 45 across their five Pool A matches, underlining their attacking strength throughout the group stage.

India face Pakistan in semi-final

India’s perfect Pool A campaign now gives them a two-day break before the semi-finals. Their next assignment will be against Pakistan on October 1 in what promises to be one of the most closely watched matches of the Asian Games hockey tournament.

Pakistan reached the semi-final from the other side of the draw, while Malaysia and South Korea will meet in the second last-four clash.

For India, the 10-0 victory over Bangladesh provides considerable attacking momentum ahead of the knockout stage. Harmanpreet’s hat-trick, Shilanand’s brace and goals from Abhishek, Jugraj, Sukhjeet, Sanjay and Mandeep highlighted the team’s scoring depth.

The defending champions will now turn their attention to Pakistan, with a place in the Asian Games final at stake.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by News Karnataka staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)