Asian Games 2023: India run riot, defeat Uzbekistan 16-0 in Hangzhou opener

India were sans skipper and star scorer Harmanpreet Singh in their Asian Games 2023 opener against Uzbekistan but that did not deter the team.

The Asian giants defeated lower-ranked Uzbekistan by a whopping 16-0 in the Preliminary Men’s Pool A game in Hangzhou.

Lalit Upadhyaya and Varun Kumar were the top scorers for India with four goals each.

At half-time India were leading 7-0, with Mandeep Singh already completing his hattrick.

By the end of third quarter, all hope seemed lost for the Uzbeks as India took a massive 12-0 lead.

After Lalit and Varun wreaked more havoc in the final quarter, it was youngster Sanjay who put the cherry on top with his first goal of the match to end India's game on a high.

The World No. 3 team face Singapore on September 26.

If India win the gold at Asiad, they will secure a spot at the 2024 Olympics.