Ashish Purti struck a fine hat-trick as a dominant India defeated hosts Japan 4-1 in the final to lift the Men’s Under-18 Asia Cup title here on Friday.Purti scored in the 2nd, 28th and 34th minutes while captain Ketan Kushwaha (30th) also found the back of the net as India produced a commanding display against the home team.Numada Gaku scored Japan’s lone goal of the contest in the 52nd minute.𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐄, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐒𝐂𝐎𝐑𝐄𝐃, 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 👑🏑🇮🇳Every team had a plan to stop them. None could.Ashish Tani Purti and Nousheen Naz finished the U18 Asia Cup 2026 as the Top Scorers in the men’s and women’s competitions, turning chances into goals… pic.twitter.com/M5nA6veSGL— Hockey India (@TheHockeyIndia) June 6, 2026Acknowledging the team’s achievement, Hockey India announced a cash award of Rs 3 lakh for each player of the gold medal-winning team and Rs 1.5 lakh for each member of the support staff.Hockey India also announced a cash award of Rs 1 lakh for each player of the Indian Women’s U-18 team that secured the bronze medal earlier in the day, along with Rs 50,000 for each member of the support staff.India wasted no time in making their presence felt, winning a penalty corner inside the opening 90 seconds. Purti made no mistake with the finish, giving India an early lead.Japan grew into the quarter, testing India with four circle penetrations. But the Indian defence stood firm throughout as the first quarter ended with the visiting team leading 1-0.The second quarter saw India extend their advantage despite sustained pressure from the hosts. Japan earned their first penalty corner of the night and looked threatening, but the equaliser continued to elude them.India responded with purpose, earning a penalty corner of their own in the 28th minute. Purti stepped up once again and delivered, driving a powerful shot into the net to make it 2-0.The momentum was firmly with India and it showed almost immediately. Prahalad Rajbhar won the ball in a dangerous area, surged forward and laid it off to captain Kushwaha, who finished coolly to put India 3-0 ahead at halftime.India remained relentless in the third quarter. A slick run from Varinder Singh resulted in another penalty corner and Purti completed his hat-trick with a clinical finish in the 34th minute to hand India a commanding 4-0 lead.Japan pushed hard in the final quarter and in the 52nd minute, Numada Gaku converted a penalty stroke to reduce the deficit to 4-1.However, the goal proved to be little more than a consolation. Japan earned three more penalty corners in the closing stages but could not find a way past the resolute Indian defence.Purti was adjudged player of the match for his stellar performance, capping of an exceptional campaign that saw him emerge as the top scorer with 13 goals in the competition.