Tushar Khandekar and Yuvraj Walmiki scored two goals each as India spanked Poland 7-0 to enhance their chances of finishing on top of Group A in the Champions Challenge hockey tournament, in Johannesburg, on Tuesday. India finished their group engagements with seven points from three matches and await the result of the Belgium-South Africa match to know if they will finish on top the group.
Leaking late goals has been something of an Achilles' heel for the Indian hockey team but captain Sardar Singh believes his team have addressed the issue as they head to Rio looking for the country's first Olympic medal in 36 years. Once-mighty India are the most decorated nation in the sport's Olympic history but the South Asians collected the last of their eight gold medals way back at the Moscow Games in 1980. Having failed to qualify for the Beijing Games in 2008, the team representing a nation of 1.3 billion people did recover to seal a spot at the London Games four years later only to finish last among the 12 countries taking part.
The studies that put Virat Kohli as the top brand now do not have Rohit Sharma in the Top 10. That will change quickly if he delivers the T20 World Cup next year or the ODI championship the year after.
Pakistan Hockey Federation spokesman Altaf Sabir said the result could have gone in favour of other teams if the umpiring had been fair and just.
Four-times champion Pakistan went down to England in the play-off for 5-6 positions at the men's hockey World Cup.
Delhi Waveriders were held to a 1-1 draw by Uttar Pradesh Wizards in their first away match of the Hockey India League in Lucknow on Saturday.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Tuesday
World champions Australia rallied from a two-goal deficit to prevail 4-3 over Olympic gold medallists Germany to bolster their position in the 36th Hero Champions Trophy hockey tournament at the Lee Valley Hockey Centre.
This was Apurvi's second ISSF World Cup gold of the year followed by a world record score in New Delhi in February.
Britain's world number three Andy Murray stressed the importance of gender equality in tennis, saying the work ethic required to succeed is the same for both men and women.
The ban on him has been reduced by a match but Indian forward Shivendra Singh on Monday said even the lighter penalty amounts to 'injustice' as he has been punished for no fault of his.
After three straight defeats, India drew the first Test of the second leg, in the hockey series between the countries.
The sixth ranked India, who just needed a draw to seal a place in Sunday's summit clash, produced a superlative performance after the change of ends to pump in four goals -- three field strikes and one through penalty corner.
A lackluster India suffered their second consecutive defeat to crash out of the title race of Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament and chief coach Paul Van Ass expressed his unhappiness over the performance of his players, saying that for the second day on the trot they gave away the match to the opposition.
Since 2012, 44 Indians have been anointed as grandmasters -- the highest achievement in chess, points out Arvind Subramanian, economist and former chief economic adviser to the government.
Also seen in action for India will be the shuttlers, boxers, the women's hockey team and the table tennis players among others.
India hockey coach Paul van Ass said inability to handle fast-paced attack resulted in his side's capitulation against World champions Australia in the FIH World League semi-finals in Antwerp.
It was a complete performance by the Indians who dominated their arch-rivals throughout the match to post a facile win and zoom to the top of Pool B ahead of The Netherlands.
India missed chances aplenty in their opening two games of the ongoing 24th Sultan Azlan Shah Cup hockey tournament and national captain Sardar Singh minced no words when he said that the team's forwardline will have to play more responsibly to give themselves any chance of reaching the final.
India's gold haul from track-and-field continued at the Asian Games on Thursday, culminating in its best showing at the continental showpiece in close to seven decades. However, there was heartbreak in the hockey arena as its men's team was beaten by Malaysia in the semi-finals.
Joel Baker scored in the last minute of the match to help New Zealand shock World champions Germany 3-2 in the play-off and finish third in the four-nation Punjab Gold Cup hockey tournament in Chandigarh on Monday. The teams were locked 2-2 till the last minute when Baker scored to carve out a memorable victory for his team.
India wasted as many as five penalty-corners seconds from the final hooter and went down 1-2 to reigning silver medallists the Netherlands in the Rio Olympics' hockey tournament on Thursday. The defeat saw the eight-time Olympic gold medallists slump to their second defeat in the competition.
World champions Australia defeated Olympic champions Argentina 2-1 in a hard-fought summit clash to defend the Hockey World League (HWL) Final crown.
Spaniard Albert Casas' lone goal gave Chennai Veerans a 1-0 victory in the Premier Hocckey League.
New Zealand rallied from two goals down to trounce Malaysia in their last league match in the Indira Gandhi Gold Cup hockey tournament.
The Indian kabaddi contingent made an impressive start to its campaign at the 18th Asian Games with the women's team mauling Japan and the men's side beating Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Jakarta on Sunday.
India came back strongly after a two-goal deficit but still lost 3-4 to defending champions South Korea in the final of the ninth Asia Cup hockey tournament in Ipoh, Malaysia.
Australian Terry Walsh, who resigned as Indian men's hockey team chief coach because of a "pay dispute", hinted that he was ready to reconsider his decision if he was given a new contract on his terms and conditions by the Sports Authority of India.
In another match of the Azlan Shah hockey tournament, Holland rallied from a goal down to beat Argentina.
The best-ever medal haul at the 2018 Asian Games is a leap forward for India sport after the Commonwealth Games medal spurt.
Paul van Ass, who claims he was fired as chief coach of India's men's hockey team following an altercation with Hockey India president Narinder Batra, says he is willing to resume duties provided there is no "interference" in his work.
Veteran midfielder Sardar Singh on Saturday returned to the national team as Hockey India named a strong 18-member squad under the captaincy of Manpreet Singh for the Asia Cup to be held in Dhaka from October 11-22.
Indian colts staged a magnificent comeback to beat Japan 2-1 in their opening match of the Junior Men's Asia Cup Hockey.
Jugraj Singh scores a goalden goal to help Chandigarh Dynamos to their first PHL win of the season.
Defending Champions Ranchi Rays completed a hat-trick of wins after eking out a 3-2 win over table toppers Kalinga Lancers in a round robin match of the fourth Hockey India League, in Ranchi, on Thursday.
P V Sindhu, will have to punch above its weight to salvage any hopes of a medal after being handed a tough draw in the badminton event at the 18th Asian Games.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
India's coach said the team was outstanding in the second half when it should shave scored more than two goals.
World champions Australia got the better of defending champions the Netherlands 3-2 in a high-voltage first semi-final to progress to the title round of the ongoing Hockey World League (HWL) Final at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Stadium, in Raiput, on Friday.
India cricket captain Virat Kohli and weightlifter Mirabai Chanu were on Monday recommended for Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna by the awards selection committee.
