CWG 2018: The win ensured that India finished on top of Group B. India will now face New Zealand in the semifinal, while England will take on hosts Australia.
India completed a stunning comeback against England on Wednesay by scoring twice in the final two minutes to win their final group match 4-3. India needed this win to finish as Group B topper as they were hoping to avoid hosts Australia in the semifinals. With just two minutes of play left, India was trailing 3-2 in the last quarter. India’s Varun Kumar converted a penalty corner to equalise the scores 3-3. Indian skipper Manpreet Singh attempted an ambitious shot from the halfline in the dying seconds and it was deflected into the net by Manpreet Singh. With the score reading 4-3, England appealed for a penalty corner just before the final whistle. Their appeals, however, were turned down by the referee.
India began the game by dominating the first quarter but failed to convert two early chances that had come their way. In the second quarter, it was England who got on the scoresheet with a goal coming from David Condon. India pulled one back in the third quarter with skipper Manpreet Singh finding the net. Manpreet, who was instrumental in midfield, began and finished the move when his pass found Gurjant Singh in front of goal. Gurjant squared the ball to Mandeep Singh who then returned it to an advancing Manpreet at the edge of the circle. The fourth quarter began with defender Rupinder Pal Singh converting a penalty corner to give India the lead for the first time in the match. England then equalised andeventually took the lead with Liam Ansell and Sam Ward converting their penalty corner attempts. The fourth quarter saw five goals, with three coming from India alone.
The win ensured that India finished on top of Group B. India will now face New Zealand in the semifinal, while England will take on hosts Australia. India’s road to the semifinals hasn’t been easy. After drawing 2-2 against Pakistan in their opening game, India faced massive criticism for not getting a single shot on target in the second half of the game. But the side bounced back strongly in their next fixture against Wales as they picked up a morale-boosting 4-3 victor,y with two goals coming in the final quarter of the match. Needing one more win to enter the semifinals, India came up with an inspiring performance against Malaysia to beat their Asian rivals 2-1. Harmanpreet Singh scored both goals for India in the first and third quarter to pick up the win for his side.