India booked their place in the semi-finals of the FIH Hockey Women’s Nations Cup 2026 with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Japan in Pool A at the North Harbour National Hockey Centre in Auckland on Tuesday.
Captain Salima Tete opened the scoring in the 33rd minute before Japan’s Hiramitsu Ai equalised two minutes later from a penalty corner. Lalremsiami then struck the decisive goal in the 49th minute to seal India’s second consecutive win of the tournament.
The match was also special for midfielder Jyoti, who made her 100th senior international appearance. India will face Uruguay in their final Pool A match on June 18.