Captain yoshioka mahiro

Hockey Asia Cup: Indian men's team suffered a 2-4 defeat against hosts Japan in their U-18 Asia Cup 2026 Pool A fixture on Sunday.

Ashish Tani Purti (25') and Captain Ketan Kushwaha (32') scored the two goals for India, while Captain Yoshioka Mahiro (15'), Fujiwara Yuma (20'), Yasui Kengo (34') and Takahashi Aone (42') were the goalscorers for Japan.

It was a tightly contested first quarter, with both sides fighting for possession in midfield. However, Japan broke the deadlock in the 15th minute. The home team executed a well-worked variation as Watanabe Atsuhiro passed the ball back to the injector, Captain Yoshioka Mahiro (15'), who scored with a diving finish.