CWG Day 2 Report: Indian weightlifters continued their highly impressive medal-winning performances as K Sanjita Chanu and Deepak Lather clinched gold and bronze respectively, while squash player Joshna Chinappa, boxers Amit Panghal and Naman Tanwar entered the quarter-finals at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) on Friday.
Sanjita won in the women's 53 kg category as the Manipuri star lifted a total of 192 kg which included a CWG record of 84 kg in the snatch and 108 kg in clean and jerk, while Lather bagged a bronze medal in the men's 69 kg competition. He managed 136 kilograms in the snatch and 159 kg in clean and jerk for a total of 295 kg.
India take on Pakistan in their match at the Commonwealth games. Image Couretsy: Hockey india
India now has four medals here after weightlifters S Mirabai Chanu and Gururaja delivered a gold and a silver respectively on Thursday.
Success also continued in the mixed team badminton event as India topped Group A and reach the quarter-finals, after thrashing unfancied Scotland 5-0.
India's artistic gymnasts Pranati Das and Pranati Nayak qualified for the individual women's all-round and vault finals respectively on a disappointing day for World Cup medallist Aruna Budda Reddy.
Das finished 21st in the all-around final, with a total of 43.800 points. In the individual vault, Nayak was fourth with 13.300 points.
India's women continued to shine as Joshna was the lone squash player to reach the quarter-finals after Dipika Pallikal and Vikram Malhotra lost in the Round-of-16. Joshna defeated lower-ranked Tamika Saxby of Australia 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-4).
The women's hockey team bounced back strongly after the 2-3 stunning loss to Wales with a 4-1 rout of Malaysia in a Group A match. Gurjit Kaur (6th, 39th minutes), Rani Rampal (56th) and Lalremsiami (59th) scored for India.
In boxing action, Amit outplayed Tetteh Sulemanu of Ghana 5-0 in the men's light flyweight (49 kg), while Naman thrashed Tanzania's Haruna Mhando 5-0 in Heavyweight (91 kg) division in Round-of-16 actions at Oxenford Studios arena here.
Indian cyclists disappointed on the second day as all of them failed to advance to the medal rounds. Sahil Kumar, Ranjit Singh and Sanuraj Sanandaraj failed to qualify for the next round in the men's cycling keirin first round heats. In the men's 4,000m Individual Pursuit, Manjeet Singh also failed to qualify forward after posting 4:39.744 to finish 24th out of 27 competitors. Deborah Herold and Aleena Reji lost in the quarter-finals of the women's sprint event.
India also had a mixed day in the lawn bowls events, reaching Round 5 in the men's Pairs and women's Fours event, while they suffered losses in the Round 3 of the men's Pairs and Triples competitions. Pinki lost in singles Round 4.
Woman para-swimmer Kiran Tak finished seventh in the S9 100m backstroke final which she completed in 1.47.10 minute after beginning with a reaction time of 1.08 seconds.
At the end of Friday, India remained in the fifth spot in the medal table, behind Australia (36 medals), England (18 medals), Canada (11 medals) and Scotland (10 medals).
India has so far rode on the success of its weightlifters and two of them rose to the occasion on Friday. Sanjita outclassed defending champion Loa Dika Toua of Papua New Guinea, who was a distant second with 182 kg while Canadian Rachel Leblanc-Bazinet took bronze with 181 kg.
Sanjita was by far the most dominant competitor in both snatch and clean jerk. She took the lead in the snatch with an opening attempt of 81 kilograms.
New Zealand's Rachel, who had managed 78 kg in her first attempt, joined Sanjita at the pole position by lifting 81 kg in her second attempt.
But Sanjita showed her class by equalling the CWG record of 83 kg in her second attempt to regain the lead.
The Canadian, whose best lift in training has been 82 kg, made a brave and futile attempt to match the CWG record.
The Indian then walked out to set a new CWG record at 84 kg and take the lead. The previous CWG record of 83 kg was set by compatriot Swarti Singh at the Glasgow Games in 2014.
Things were even easier for Sanjita in the clean and jerk as none of her rivals managed to produce even a semblance of a challenge.
Sanjita took the lead with a successful opening attempt of 104 kg. She bolstered her lead with 108 kg in her second attempt.
She then attempted to better the existing CWG record of 111 kg which was set by Loa in 2014. That however, was not to be as Sanjita failed to lift 112 kg in her third attempt.
Loa, who started with a successful attempt of 102 kg, failed to hoist 109 kg in her second attempt.
She then went for 113 kg in her final attempt in a bid to better her own CWG record and retain the title which she had won four years ago.
But she failed her third attempt despite a brave effort as the Indian camp celebrated Sanjita's triumph.
Rachel meanwhile, needed two attempts to clear 98 kg before lifting 100 kg in her third attempt.
The third Indian weightlifter in action in the day, Saraswati Rout failed to finish in the women's 58kg competition. She couldn't get a valid lift.
Day 3 Schedule (7 April)
India vs England
Event: Men’s basketball
Time: 1.00 pm
India vs Malaysia
Event: Women’s basketball
Time: 2.00 pm
India vs Pakistan
Event: Men’s Hockey
Time: 10.02 am
Athlete: Manjeet Singh
Event: Cycling (Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit)
Time: 3.54 pm (Final)
Athlete: Sanuraj P
Event: Cycling (Men’s Sprint)
Time: 9.56 am (Qualification), 10.43 am (Quarter-final), 2.10 pm (Semi-final), 4.14 pm (Final)
Athlete: Ranjit Singh
Event: Cycling (Men’s Sprint)
Time: 9.56 am (Qualification), 10.43 am (Quarter-final), 2.10 pm (Semi-final), 4.14 pm (Final)
Athlete: Sahil Kumar
Event: Cycling (Men’s Sprint)
Time: 9.56 am (Qualification), 10.43 am (Quarter-final), 2.10 pm (Semi-final), 4.14 pm (Final)
Athlete: Amritha Reghunath
Event: Cycling (Women Point Race)
Time: 10.28 am (Qualification), 2.46 pm (Final)
Athlete: Sonali Chang
Event: Cycling (Women Point Race)
Time: 10.28 am (Qualification), 2.46 pm (Final)
Athlete: Manorama Devi
Event: Cycling (Women Point Race)
Time: 10.28 am (Qualification), 2.46 pm (Final)
Athlete: Deborah Herold
Event: Cycling (Women 500 m Time Trial)
Time: 3.29 pm
Athlete: Aleena Reji
Event: Cycling (Women 500 m Time Trial)
Time: 3.29 pm
Athlete: Rakesh Patra
Event: Gymnastics (Individual All Around)
Time: 4.39 am
Athlete: Yogeshwar Singh
Event: Gymnastics (Individual All Around)
Time: 4.39 am (Final)
Athlete: Ashish Kumar
Event: Gymnastics (Individual All Around)
Time: 4.39 am (Final)
Athlete: Pranati Das
Event: Gymnastics (Women Individual All Around)
Time: 12.11 pm (Final)
Athlete: Pranati Nayak
Event: Gymnastics (Women Individual All Around)
Time: 12.11 pm (Final)
Athlete: Aruna Reddy
Event: Gymnastics (Women Individual All Around)
Time: 12.11 pm (Final)
Athlete: Sajan Prakash
Event: Swinning (Men's 50m Butterfly Heat 5)
Time: 7.00 am
Athlete: Virdhawal Khade
Event: Swinning (Men's 50m Butterfly Heat 5)
Time: 7.00 am
Athlete: Srihari Nataraj
Event: Swimming (Men’s 50m Backstroke)
Time: 6.45 am (1st Heat), 3.49 pm (1st Semi-final)
Athlete: Sathish Sivalingam
Event: Weightlifting (Men’s 77kg)
Time: 5.12 am
Athlete: Vandna Gupta
Event: Weightlifting (Women’s 63kg)
Time: 9.42 am
Athlete: Ragala Venkat Rahul
Event: Weightlifting (Men’s 85kg)
Time: 2.12 pm
Event: Mixed Badminton team quarter-finals
Event: Boxing Men Preliminary rounds
Time: 7.30 am-11 am and 2 pm-5.30 pm
Event: Boxing Women Preliminary Rounds
Time: 7.30 am-11 am and 2 pm-5.30 pm
Event: Table Tennis (Team Group and Knockout Stage)
Time: 4.00 am-10.00 am and 11.30 am-4.30 pm
Event: Squash (Singles Preliminary)
Time: 8.00 am-12 pm and 1.30 pm-5.00 pm
India vs South Africa
Event: (Lawn Bowls) Men's Triples Section A - Round 5
Time: 4.31 am
India vs Niue
Event: (Lawn Bowls) Women's Singles Section D - Round 5
Time: 4.31 am
India vs Norfolk Island
Event: (Lawn Bowls) Men's Pairs Section D - Round 5
Time: 4.30 am
India vs Fiji
Event: (Lawn Bowls) Women's Fours Section B - Round 5
Time: 7.30 am
With inputs from IANS
Published Date: Apr 07, 2018 04:08 AM | Updated Date: Apr 07, 2018 18:22 PM
Highlights
India win their 4th GOLD!
Ragala Venkat Rahul gave India its fourth gold of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, joining fellow lifters Mirabai Chanu, Sanjita Chanu and Sathish Sivalingam as top prize winners.
The 21-year-old from Stuartpuram in Andhra Pradesh, a Commonwealth Championship gold medallist last year, beat back a surprising challenge from a vastly improved Samoan Don Opeloge to claim the 85kg gold.
The two of them had lifted 151kg in Snatch but the Indian put paid to Don Opeloge’s aspirations by entering the clean and jerk competition at 182kg and upped the ante by hoisting 187kg.
Under tremendous pressure to match Venkat Rahul, Don Opeloge had to ask for 188kg and 191kg on his second and third attempts and failed on each occasion, ceding gold to the young Indian.
India 2-1 Pakistan
What a goal for Pakistan! Mohammad Irfan Junior taps the ball in after Rizwan's shot beat Sreejesh. Pakistan are back in this game after being dominated for the better part of two quarters.
India 2-0 Pakistan
Another penalty corner for India and Harmanpreet Singh makes no mistake! Slams his shot low into the goal. There's nothing anyone could have done to keep that out.
India 1-0 Pakistan
End of first quarter. What a match this is turning out to be. End-to-end, skillful and quick!
India 1-0 Pakistan
FINALLY INDIA SCORE! SV Sunil's inch-perfect cross was tapped in by Dilpreet Singh to hand India the lead. They've threatened for a while now. Pakistan respond almost immediately with a shot that slams into the crossbar. That was close, but India survive.
Kidambi Srikanth wins to take India to semi-finals
Kidambi Srikanth beats Georges Julien Paul 21-12, 21-14 in 29 minutes to help India beat Mauritius 3-0 and progress to the semi-finals of the mixed team badminton event. The men's and women's doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Ashwini Ponnappa-N Sikki Reddy had given India a 2-0 lead before Srikanth sealed the tie for India.
India rise up to third in medals table
Thanks to Sivalingam's gold, India have risen to third in the overall medal's standings.
Swimmer Srihari Nataraj in 50m backstroke semi-finals
Srihari Nataraj has qualified for the semi-finals of the men's 50m backstroke! The teenager's 26.47-second effort in the heats meant that he was ninth fastest in the heats.
Kidambi Srikanth wins the first game
Kidambi Srikanth starts strongly in his singles clash against Georges Julien Paul. He takes the first game 21-12 in 13 minutes. India well on course to taking an unassailable 3-0 lead in their quarter-final.
Gymnast Yogeshwar Singh finishes 14th in individual all-around gymnastics
Yogeshwar Singh, the 20-year-old from Ambala, has finished 14th in the men's individual all-around gymnastics final with a tally of 75.600. Having scored 75.300 during qualifying, he was able to improve his tally only marginally in the final, his fine effort in the vault worth 14.100 being of no avail, given a poor 11.300 in the floor exercises. His other solid effort came in the parallel bars where he picked up 13.000 points. He will draw satisfaction from having shown improvement from his all-around score of 72.815 in the World Championships in Montreal last year. England's Nile Wilson and James Hall completed a 1-2 while Marios Georgiou (Cyprus) claimed bronze.
Ashwini Ponnappa-Sikki Reddy win
Ashwini and Sikki make light work of the Mauritian pair of Aurelie Marie Elisa Allet and Nicki Chan-Lam as they win 21-8, 21-7 in 21 minutes straight! India take a 2-0 lead in the mixed team badminton event. Next, Kidambi Srikanth will face Georges Julien Paul in the men's singles event.
SATHISH SIVALINGAM WINS GOLD!
The men's 77kg weightlifting event culminates in dramatic finale. India's Sathish Sivalingam retains his gold medal in the 77kg event.
Satwik-Chirag hand India first win against Mauritius
That was mighty easy for the youngsters Chirag and Satwiksairaj as they brushed aside Mauritius' Lubah-Paul in straight games.
India through to semis
In what should come as a surprise to no one, India have romped into the semi-final of the women's team event. Manika Batra beat Ying Ho 11-9, 11-7, 11-7, Madhurika Patkar beat Karen Lyne 7-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3, and Mouma Das-Madhurika Patkar beat Ai Xin Tee and Ying Ho 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7.
Sathish Sivalingam nails third lift
After lifting 136kg and 140kg in his first two attempts, Sivalingam's third snatch lift is of 144kg. However, England's Jack Oliver beats that by one kilogram minutes later. Oliver's third lift of 148 kg is unsuccessful.
But don't forget that there are still three clean and jerk lifts left. The medals are awarded to lifters who total the best cumulative weight in both variants — snatch and clean and jerk.
Incredibly, at the halfway mark, Francois Etoundi is eight kilograms behind the Indian with a best lift of 132kg.
Sathish Sivalingam nails first and second lifts
Sivalingam lifts 136kg in his first lift and 140kg in his second without any fuss! That puts him on the top in the men's 77kg event. Between his two lifts there were the sight of Francois Etoundi lifting 136kg and doing a backflip, much to the delight of the partisan home crowd.
18:22 (IST)
India's singles campaign in squash comes to an end at the Commonwealth Games 2018 after Joshna Chinappa loses 5-11, 6-11, 9-11 to New Zealand's Joelle King in the quarter-final
16:55 (IST)
India win their 4th GOLD!
Ragala Venkat Rahul gave India its fourth gold of the 2018 Commonwealth Games, joining fellow lifters Mirabai Chanu, Sanjita Chanu and Sathish Sivalingam as top prize winners.
The 21-year-old from Stuartpuram in Andhra Pradesh, a Commonwealth Championship gold medallist last year, beat back a surprising challenge from a vastly improved Samoan Don Opeloge to claim the 85kg gold.
The two of them had lifted 151kg in Snatch but the Indian put paid to Don Opeloge’s aspirations by entering the clean and jerk competition at 182kg and upped the ante by hoisting 187kg.
Under tremendous pressure to match Venkat Rahul, Don Opeloge had to ask for 188kg and 191kg on his second and third attempts and failed on each occasion, ceding gold to the young Indian.
16:37 (IST)
Weightlifting: 85kg
Ragala’s final attempt was unsuccessful but Don Opeloge couldn't manage to lift 191kg.
He lifted a total of 338kg. Too good from the Andhra Pradesh weightlifter!
16:34 (IST)
Venkat Rahul Ragala wins gold in men's 85kg
16:25 (IST)
Boxing:
And in what must come as a surprise to no one, Manoj wins with a unanimous verdict. All the Indian boxers have registered victories so far.
16:20 (IST)
Weightlifting:
Venkat Rahul Ragala lifts 182kg in his first Clean and Jerk attempt to move into the top position
16:17 (IST)
Swimming:
Srihari Nataraj, the teenager from Bengaluru, strove hard but could not make it to the final of the 50m backstroke. The youngest of the 16 semifinalists, he finished in 26.50 seconds, a shade slower than his 26.47 national record time in the heats. He was named the first reserve and would figure in the final only if one of the eight qualifiers pulls out of the race. Swimming in the faster of the two semifinal heats, the 17-year-old Srihari Nataraj’s slow reaction time at the start also contributed to his being unable to lower the National Record one more time. It was the first time in four races that he has not been able to improve his personal best.
16:12 (IST)
Manoj working the body of his Tanzanian rival in the second round. There was a set of five or six punches which found their mark on the face of the Tanzanian with a minute to go in the second round.
16:10 (IST)
Boxing: 69kg
Manoj Kumar enters the ring for his match against Kassim Mbundwike of Tanzania.
Manoj has been the more agile of the two boxers, bouncing around on the balls of his feet. How Tanzanian rival has barely moved out from the centre of the ring.
15:59 (IST)
Basketball: Women
A heartbreaking loss for India against Malaysia in their group fixture. The Indians did try to make a late comeback but Garima limped off the court with an injury. They have now lost both their group fixtures, which means they are out.
15:50 (IST)
Boxing: Hussamuddin wins 5-0!
It was an end-to-end bout with punches and jabs flying from both ends. However, it was the Indian boxer who came out victorious by a whisker. Boe isn't happy with the decision.
15:41 (IST)
Boxing:
India's Hussamuddin Mohammed is in action against Boe Warawara of Vanuatu in the pre-quarter-finals.
15:38 (IST)
Swimming:
Sajan Prakash finishes last in the event. Chad le Clos of South Africa takes gold. What an outstanding swimmer he is!
15:24 (IST)
Weightlifting: 85kg
India’s 21-year-old Ragala Venkat Rahul faltered once but tied with Samoa’s Don Opeloge at the top of the pack in the men’s 85kg weightlifting competition. They both lifted 151kg in the snatch variant and promised to make the battle more tactical and exciting when the focus shifts to clean and jerk. Nigeria’s African champion Michael Anyalewechi (147kg) and Malaysia’s Muhamad Fazrul Azrie (145kg) raised visions of an intense battle, though defending champion Richard Patterson (New Zealand) finished with a no-lift at 143kg and bowed out. The Indian, who dropped the barbell when it was loaded at 151kg and then chose not to revise it upwards on his final visit, will have to respond to the surprise that Opeloge may have sprung on him by bridging the 10kg gap between them in the Commonwealth Championship last year.
15:18 (IST)
Rangala successfully lifts 151 kg. That looked easy!
He is now tied with Samoa's Don Opeloge at the top in the snatch event. We now move on to the Clean & Jerk event. The Indian has a very good chance to win the gold medal in this discipline
15:14 (IST)
Rangala doesn't look happy with his effort there. He fails in his second lift of 151 kg.
Will he manage to lift it in his next attempt?
15:06 (IST)
Venkat Rahul Ragala enters the stage as he is the last lifter to start the men's 85kg category.
He's done it. Ragala lifts 147kg in his first attempt
14:54 (IST)
Basketball: Men's
England cruise past India in the Men’s Preliminary Round Pool B basketball match. India hardly troubled their English counterparts in each of the four quarters.
14:46 (IST)
Hockey India captain PR Sreejesh reflects on today's controversial result against Pakistan
14:42 (IST)
A splendid effort on the vault rewarded Aruna Budda Reddy with 13.650 points and, with a tally of 44.400 points, she pitchforked ahead of her team-mate Pranati Das in the final of the women’s individual all-around competition in the Commonwealth Games today. Having sneaked into the final only because Scotland’s Cara Kennedy pulled out, India’s leading vaulter in Dipa Karmakar’s absence turned in her most improved show when compared to the qualifying yesterday. It was perhaps the best she could manage when grieving the loss of her coach Brij Kishore to cancer. Pranati Das finished the final with 43.900. The Jersey pair of Bonita Shurmer and Rachelle Flambard were the only ones sure to finish below her.
14:41 (IST)
Basketball: Women
The Malaysians have scored 12 points from turnovers, while India have managed to get only three. Malaysia are making most of their chances from the baseline. They also scored two consecutive three-pointers
14:35 (IST)
Meanwhile, the men's basketball team is struggling to close the gap on England's massive lead
14:30 (IST)
Basketball:
25-20! India hold a slight 5-point advantage over the Malaysians. The Indians look at their best and are making full use of their attack.
14:23 (IST)
He has got a chance to add to India's medal tally.
14:21 (IST)
Sarita Devi wins 5-0
Sarita Devi off to a great start. A left jab to begin with, followed by a quick defence as Kimberly Gittens of Barbados throws a few punches at her. She has shown a lot of aggression in the second round too.
That's it. A unanimous decision goes in the Indian's favour. She's through to the quarter-finals
14:10 (IST)
Basketball:
India's women's team is in action against Malaysia in the Preliminary Round.
14:05 (IST)
World Cup medallist Aruna Budda Reddy and Pranati Das’s efforts on the floor exercises were worth 11.550 and 11.050 points respectively. Aruna managed a significant improvement from the qualifying effort that fetched her only 10.350 points but that was not enough to lift her from the bottom of the heap with a total of 30.750 points after routines on three apparatus. Pranati Das’ total of 31.000 points was only a shade better and she was two notches above her team-mate.
13:58 (IST)
England lead India 46-24 after first two quarters in the basketball men’s Pool B match.
A disappointing 2nd quarter, managing to score just 7 points in that duration of play.
13:19 (IST)
Pranati Das’s routine on the balance beam earns her 9.900 points for a total of 19.950 after two apparatus in the women’s individual all-around final. She had done better in the qualifying where the judges awarded her 10.15. Aruna Budda Reddy fares worse on the balance beam to get just 9.000 points to total 19.200 after two events. The Indians are the bringing up the bottom of the scoreboard and will need good vaults, their forte, to rise from the lowest quarter of the 18 competitions.
13:10 (IST)
After two failed attempts in Clean and Jerk, India's Vandana Gupta finishes 5th in the women’s 63 kg weightlifting final.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Maude McCarron wins the gold and breaks the CWG record in the discipline.
13:07 (IST)
Pranati Das’s bid to make a mark in the women’s individual all-around final got to a sluggish start. She secures 10.050 points on uneven bars. Of course, it is a shade better than the 9.75 she had managed in qualifying two days ago. Similarly, Aruna Budda Reddy – who got into the final as the first reserve when Scotland’s Cara Kennedy pulled out – improved from 9.800 in qualifications to 10.200 on the uneven bars.
12:46 (IST)
Pranati Das’s bid to make a mark in the women’s individual all-around final got to a sluggish start. She secures 10.050 points on uneven bars. Of course, it is a shade better than the 9.75 she had managed in qualifying two days ago. Similarly, Aruna Budda Reddy – who got into the final as the first reserve when Scotland’s Cara Kennedy pulled out – improved from 9.800 in qualifications to 10.200 on the uneven bars.
11:57 (IST)
India 2-2 Pakistan
Stunning result for Pakistan. It’s 2-2. This draw is almost a win for Pakistan. They came back from 0-2 down and the best was that they killed the pace and created a structure. India crumbled and just refused to tackle Pakistan head on. In the end, video decisions were controversial, especially the last one from which Pakistan equalised. Sreejesh, in fact, saved three goals. Huge lessons here for India. India coach has a lot of work – especially in the way the midfield vanished and also to tell Mandeep Singh to pass when Sunil was in a better position.
11:47 (IST)
Weightlifter Vandna Gupta finishes 5th in women's 63kg event
Vandna Gupta became the third Indian weightlifter after Muthupandi Raja and Saraswati Rout to return home without a Commonwealth Games medal when she was unable to overcome a weak effort in the snatch variant in the women’s 63kg class competition. She seemed a shadow of the lifter who has a personal best of 91 kgs and lifted 88 kgs in the Commonwealth Championship last year. After two failures at 80 kgs, she finally managed a clean lift to stay in the competition today. But needing a solid effort the clean and jerk lifts, she could only get one clean lift at 100 kgs and failed twice at 104 kgs. The 23-year-old from Lucknow had only two legal lifts today and finished with 180 kgs. It was never going to be a challenge for the top guns in the competition like Zoe Smith (England), Maude Charron (Canada) and Mona Pretorius (South Africa). India will now look to Ragula Venkat Rahul (men’s 85kg class) to add to its haul of three gold one silver and one bronze medals from eight events.
11:40 (IST)
India 2-2 Pakistan
Pakistan score off that penalty corner, shooting low. A diving Sreejesh cannot get down in time as the ball creeps under him. That penalty corner decision is going to dominate news for some time.
11:36 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
Another penalty corner for Pakistan as the ball hit an Indian defender's foot, right as the time ran out!
11:34 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
With seven seconds to go for the final whistle, Pakistan are given a penalty corner! But they bungle it! There's some last-minute drama on the pitch as the Pakistanis are claiming the ball hit a defender's foot again. Nervous wait for India and their fans.
11:27 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
India barely surviving. They lead 2-1. Three consecutive PC’s for Pakistan and Sreejesh makes some good saves. It is getting close and tense. Another goal from India could close the contest.
11:26 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
That man Sreejesh again!
In the span of two minutes, he's pulled out three saves. In the first instance, he first heads the ball away as Shafqat Rasool tries to chip it over him! Then he flies to his right to block another shot. That's no exaggeration! He was actually air-borne as he made that block.
He then dived to the ground to thwart a penalty corner. What a match he's having!
11:15 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
Q3 saw Pakistan cutting the score. They came close to getting an equaliser. India could have increased the lead through Chinglensana but the midfielder then gets a yellow. Tough Q4 looming up. India needs a couple of more goals.
11:08 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
And Pakistan have a lifeline with their 1st goal. Lovely move that caught the Indian defence dozing a bit. It’s 1-2 to Pakistan. India lead by a goal. It is tense now. Intensity from India has fallen a bit.
11:07 (IST)
India 2-1 Pakistan
What a goal for Pakistan! Mohammad Irfan Junior taps the ball in after Rizwan's shot beat Sreejesh. Pakistan are back in this game after being dominated for the better part of two quarters.
11:06 (IST)
India 2-0 Pakistan
Pakistan trying to make their way back into the match. Playing with a structure and building play up. Looking for space and not mindlessly running. India had a 4th PC but the flick didn’t come off. Q3 seems even right now.
10:48 (IST)
India 2-0 Pakistan
End of Q2 and India lead 2-0. It has been Amit Rohidas in the defence, tackling, attacking, and clearing. Great play from the Odisha boy. Pakistan had 3 PC’s but couldn’t score as Sreejesh brought off two brilliant saves. The pace has come down a bit but that was understandable as both India and Pakistan had a player off with yellow cards. India dominating the play, holding the ball and keeping a clean defence. Pakistan need to score off whatever chances they get if they have to make a match of it. India looking good for more and they should off the speedy counter attacks they create.
10:46 (IST)
Vandna faces uphill battle to claim a medal
Vandna Gupta looked off-colour when fumbling at her entry weight of 80 kgs in the snatch division of the women’s 63kg weightlifting competition. For someone who had lifted 88 kgs in winning the bronze medal at the Commonwealth Championship last year and 91 kgs in the 2014 Games in Glasgow where she finished fourth, the 23-year-old from Lucknow will be well aware that she now faces an uphill battle in the clean and jerk variant to stay in medal reckoning. Canada’s Maude Charron (98 kgs), England’s Zoe Smith (92 kgs), Mona Pretorius (91 kgs), Seychelles' Clementina Agricole (83 kgs) and Northern Ireland’s Emma McQuaid (82 kgs) are all ahead of the Indian.
10:46 (IST)
India 2-0 Pakistan
HALF-TIME! What a match India have played so far! Incredible.
10:45 (IST)
India 2-0 Pakistan
India are 2-0 up. In the last six matches that they have played with Pakistan, they haven’t lost yet after taking the lead. But the pattern is good: Build up, finding the feet and scoring off the PC. India dominating the midfield and the right flank at the moment. Players slightly losing cool as India and Pakistan get yellow cards. More chances being created by India. Mandeep’s shot saved by Pakistan GK Butt. More goals look coming India’s way.
10:42 (IST)
Vandna Gupta lifts 80 kgs in snatch variant
63kg class weightlifter Vandna falters in her snatch category as she fails in her first two attempts and can only post 80 kgs from the snatch variant. She's sixth, but still has a chance of finishing on the podium.
10:42 (IST)
India 2-0 Pakistan
Sreejesh with an insane save! Pakistan take a penalty corner, which they send to a player close to the goal, thereby wrong-footing Sreejesh. He falls, but still recovers and stands, before dropping in time to keep out Pakistan's shot which is fizzing towards goal. What a save! What a man!
10:39 (IST)
India 2-0 Pakistan
India's talismanic goalkeeper PR Sreejesh keeps out Pakistan's penalty corner as half-time approaches.