Along expected lines, the Indian hockey team started on the front foot.

Kazakhstan did well to absorb the pressure initially, but Abhishek found himself in space and hammered it home from the top of the circle to make it 1-0.

The Kazakhstan side did make a few forays into the Indian half, but before they could do much damage, Abhishek doubled the lead with a powerful hit.

Just before the end of the first quarter, Harmanpreet Singh had his shot from the penalty corner saved but soon after, Abhishek set it up for Sukhjeet Singh, who tapped it into the net to make it 3-0 at the hooter.

Early in the second quarter, India continued to dominate proceedings and had the lion’s share of possession. However, Harmanpreet Singh was denied from a penalty corner again, this time by the goalpost.

A little later, Abhishek showed great skill to finish it off and complete his hat-trick.

Close to the half-hour mark, India finally got their penalty corner conversion as Jugraj Singh stepped up and smashed it into the top corner. A couple of minutes later, Harmanpreet Singh followed suit from another set piece.

The one-way traffic continued, and Amit Rohidas, 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 rifled it home.

Moments later, Mandeep Singh’s mazy run helped set up Rajinder Singh for his first of the day. It continued to go from bad to worse for Kazakhstan, as Sukhjeet Singh made it 10-0.

Kazakhstan could not find a way out of their half, as India continued to attack. Midway through the quarter, Sukhjeet Singh added to the tally, making it 11-0.

In the final phase of play, the trend continued and India scored within the first few minutes. A penalty stroke fell to Jugraj Singh and he smashed it home.

Kazakhstan tried to push out and stitch together a few moves. But, with a little over five minutes to go, Sanjay got his name on the scoresheet too. A minute later, Dilpreet Singh made it 14-0, much to the joy of the home fans.

In the final minutes, Abhishek added a fourth goal to his name and put the seal on what was a comfortable win for the hosts.

India will play their first Super 4s match in the Asia Cup hockey tournament against the Republic of Korea on Wednesday.