Hockey Asia Cup: Hat-trick hero Abhishek Nain eyes to continue his momentum after splendid performance against Kazakhstan

Rajgir (Bihar) [India], September 2 (ANI): After slamming a hat-trick against Kazakhstan on Monday at the Rajgir Hockey Stadium in Bihar, India's star player Abhishek Nain reflected on the Indian team's performance and said he will continue his momentum in the upcoming fixtures.

India won by a scoreline of 15-0, with as many as three players scoring a hat-trick at Rajgir, apart from Nain, Sukhjeet Singh (15', 32', 38'), and Jugraj Singh (24', 31', 47'), who scored the hat-tricks.

"It was a good performance and I will continue this in the next matches. The next match is important for us in the Super Four. I had complete support from the bottom to the top. Seniors supported me a lot," Nain told the media.

The winners of the Asia Cup will earn a direct berth to the World Cup, while the teams finishing from second to sixth will advance to the FIH World Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to be held in February-March 2026.

"All the teams will give their 100 per cent and India will also give their 100 per cent because it's a World Cup qualifier," Nain said.

"Fans support us all the time, and you can see that outside, the crowd is supporting us, and I would like to thank them," he added.

Captain Harmanpreet Singh (26'), Amit Rohidas (29'), Sanjay (54'), and Dilpreet Singh (55') also got on the scoresheet. India, who had already qualified for the Super 4s, finished the league stage at the top of the points table in Pool A with nine points from three games.

Along expected lines, the Indian Men's Hockey Team started off on the front foot. Kazakhstan did well to absorb the pressure initially, but Abhishek (5') found himself in space and hammered it home from the top of the circle to make it 1-0 to India.

The Kazakhstan side did make a few forays into the India half, but before they could do much damage, Abhishek (8') doubled the lead with a powerful hit. Just before the end of the first quarter, Captain Harmanpreet Singh had his shot from the Penalty Corner stopped. And right after, Abhishek set it up for Sukhjeet Singh (15'), who tapped it into the net to make it 3-0 at the hooter.

In the second quarter, India continued to dominate proceedings and had the lion's share of possession as well. Early on, Captain Harmanpreet Singh was denied again of a Penalty Corner, this time by the goal post. However, a little later, Abhishek (20') showed great skill to finish it off and complete his hat-trick.

Kazakhstan responded with a Penalty Corner of their own, too, but India held strong at the back. Close to the half-hour mark, India finally got their Penalty Corner conversion as Jugraj Singh (24') stepped up and smashed it into the top corner.

A couple of minutes later, Captain Harmanpreet Singh (26') followed suit from another Penalty Corner. The one-way traffic continued, and Amit Rohidas (29') too got on the scoresheet, with a rasping hit from another Penalty Corner. At half-time, India led, 7-0.

The first minute of the third quarter produced a penalty stroke for India, and Jugraj Singh (31') rifled it home. Moments later, Mandeep Singh's mazy run helped set up Rajinder Singh (32') for his first of the day. It continued to go from bad to worse for Kazakhstan, as Sukhjeet Singh (32') made it 10-0.

Kazakhstan could not find a way out of their half, as India continued to attack. And midway through the quarter, Sukhjeet Singh (38') added to the tally, making it 11-0. India continued to attack relentlessly, but Kazakhstan were able to hold on in the final minutes of the quarter, and went into the break with no goals scored.

In the final phase of play, the trend continued, and India scored within the first few minutes. A penalty stroke fell to Jugraj Singh (47'), and he smashed it home without any hesitation. From then on, Kazakhstan attempted to consolidate and expand its influence through a series of moves.

But, with a little over five minutes to go, Sanjay (54') got his name on the scoresheet too. A minute later, Dilpreet Singh (55') made it 14-0, much to the joy of the home fans. In the final minutes, Abhishek (59') added a fourth goal to his name and put the seal on what was a comfortable win for the hosts. (ANI)

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