India defeated Japan 4-1. (Photo- PTI)
Mens U18 Asia Cup 2026: The Indian junior men's hockey team created history in the high-voltage final match of the Men's Under-18 Asia Cup 2026 played in Kakamigahara, Japan. India performed brilliantly and defeated host Japan 4-1 at home to win the title and capture the gold medal. The hero of this historic title victory of India was Ashish Tani Purti, who scored an excellent hat-trick in a big match like the final.
Ashish and Captain Ketan's magic
From the beginning of the match, the Indian team maintained pressure on the host team. In the very second minute of the game, India got a penalty corner, which Ashish Tani Purti (2′) converted into a goal without making any mistake, giving India an early lead of 1-0. In the first quarter, Japan tried to make a comeback, but the Indian defense foiled every attack. In the last minutes of the second quarter, India took complete control of the match.
In the 28th minute of the game, Ashish Tani Purti scored his second goal and increased India's lead to 2-0. Just two minutes later, i.e. in the 30th minute, captain Ketan Kushwaha scored a brilliant field goal on an excellent pass from Prahlad Rajbhar, giving India a strong 3-0 lead at half-time. The dominance of the Indian team continued in the third quarter also. In the 34th minute, thanks to a brilliant move by Varinder Singh, India got another penalty corner and Ashish (34') converted it into a goal, completing his hat-trick and making the score 4-0. In the fourth quarter, Japan's Numada Gaku (52') did score a consolation goal through a penalty stroke, but he could not prevent India's victory.
Hockey India announced prize money
Apart from the men's team, the women's team also won the bronze medal. After this strong performance, Hockey India also announced prize money for both the teams. Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 3 lakh for each player of the gold medal-winning Indian Under-18 men's hockey team and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. Hockey India announced a cash prize of Rs 1 lakh for each player of the Indian Under-18 women's hockey team, along with a cash prize of Rs 50,000 each for the support staff members.
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