Ashish Tani Purti Stars as India Crush Japan 4-1 to Win Men's U-18 Asia Cup 2026 Title
The Indian U-18 Men's Hockey Team produced a dominant display to defeat hosts Japan 4-1 and lift the Men's U-18 Asia Cup 2026 title in Kakamigahara on Saturday. Led by a brilliant hat-trick from Ashish Tani Purti, India outclassed the home side in the final to cap off an impressive campaign with the gold medal.
Ashish Tani Purti scored in the 2nd, 28th and 34th minutes, while captain Ketan Kushwaha added another goal in the 30th minute as India built an unassailable four-goal lead before Japan managed a late consolation through Numada Gaku.
The triumph completed a memorable tournament for the Indian youngsters, who showcased their attacking prowess throughout the competition. The victory also came less than 24 hours after India produced a stunning comeback to defeat Pakistan 5-3 in the semi-finals. Recognising the achievement, Hockey India announced a cash reward of ₹3 lakh for every player in the gold medal-winning squad and ₹1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff. The governing body also rewarded the Indian U-18 Women's Team, which secured the bronze medal earlier in the day, with ₹1 lakh for each player and ₹50,000 for each support staff member.
India made the perfect start to the final and immediately put Japan under pressure. Within the opening 90 seconds, the Indian forwards forced a penalty corner. Ashish Tani Purti stepped up and fired home a powerful effort to hand India an early 1-0 lead.
The goal settled India's nerves and allowed them to dictate the pace of the contest. Japan attempted to respond and managed several circle penetrations during the first quarter, but the Indian defence remained organised and disciplined to deny the hosts any clear opportunities.
Despite trailing, Japan continued to push forward in the second quarter and earned their first penalty corner of the match. However, India’s defensive unit once again stood firm and prevented the hosts from finding an equaliser.
As Japan searched for a way back into the contest, India struck another decisive blow. In the 28th minute, the visitors won their second penalty corner of the evening. Ashish Tani Purti once again rose to the occasion, unleashing a clinical finish to double India's advantage. The second goal shifted momentum completely in India's favour. Barely two minutes later, Prahalad Rajbhar won possession in a dangerous area and drove forward before delivering a perfectly weighted pass to captain Ketan Kushwaha. The skipper made no mistake, calmly finding the net in the 30th minute to put India 3-0 ahead heading into half-time.
The third quarter effectively sealed the contest.
India continued to attack with confidence and purpose, refusing to sit back despite holding a comfortable lead. Varinder Singh produced a brilliant run that earned India another penalty corner opportunity. Ashish Tani Purti once again showcased his finishing ability, converting the chance in the 34th minute to complete a memorable hat-trick and extend India's lead to 4-0. The goal also capped an outstanding individual tournament for the forward. With his three strikes in the final, Ashish finished as the tournament's leading scorer with 13 goals, underlining his status as one of the standout performers of the competition.
Facing a four-goal deficit, Japan had little choice but to attack aggressively in the final quarter. The hosts finally found a breakthrough in the 52nd minute when Numada Gaku converted a penalty stroke to reduce the margin to 4-1.
However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly extinguished by India's composed defending. Japan continued to press and earned three more penalty corners in the closing stages, but the Indian backline and goalkeeper held firm to deny the hosts any further success.
As the final whistle sounded, the Indian players celebrated a well-deserved title after producing one of their most complete performances of the tournament. The triumph was built on a campaign that showcased India's depth, attacking quality and resilience. The team had earlier recorded emphatic victories over Kazakhstan, Korea and Chinese Taipei in the group stage before overcoming Pakistan in a dramatic semi-final clash.
In the final, they delivered their most polished display of the competition, dominating both ends of the field against a strong Japanese side backed by home support.
Ashish Tani Purti was deservedly named Player of the Match for his outstanding hat-trick performance. His contribution throughout the tournament proved crucial to India's success and highlighted the exciting talent emerging through the country's hockey development pathway.
For Indian hockey, the title represents another encouraging sign for the future. With several players displaying maturity, skill and composure on the continental stage, the U-18 Asia Cup triumph offers optimism for the next generation of Indian stars.
India's campaign in Kakamigahara will be remembered not only for the gold medal but also for the manner in which the team achieved it—playing attacking hockey, showing character in difficult moments, and finishing with a commanding victory over the hosts in the final.
The Men's U-18 Asia Cup trophy now returns to India, carried home by a talented group of youngsters who announced themselves as champions of Asia.
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