Gurjant salvages draw for India vs Korea
Dhaka: Striker Gurjant Singh saved the day with a last minute equaliser as India eked out a fighting 1-1 draw against Korea in their first Super 4 stage match of the 10th men's Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Wednesday. Unbeaten India looked the most convincing team in the tournament so far but the dangerous and defensive Koreans came tantalisingly close to register a stunning win over the the Manpreet Singh-led side. Despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession and having better scoring chances, the in-form Indian strikers found it difficult to breach the resolute Korean defence. After a barren opening two quarters, Jungjun lee (41st minute) gave Korea the lead before Gurjant scored (60th) just seconds before the final hooter to salvage a point for the Indians.
Vivek confident ahead of Sultan of Johor Cup
New Delhi: The Indian junior men's team captain Vivek Sagar Prasad is confident of a good performance during the upcoming 7th 7th Sultan of Johor Cup, which begins in Malaysia on October 22. Japan, Australia, Great Britain, USA and Malaysia are the other five participating teams in the tournament. Captain Prasad said:"We have a great bunch of players in our squad, who have shown cohesion during our National Camp. All of the team members bring something extra to our style of play and it will stand us in good stead ahead of the tournament's opening match against Japan." Junior team coach Jude Felix said that the boys have gone through the paces during the national camp. "We have prepared well at the national camp. It is important for this young bunch to get accustomed to performing consistently against the top teams and players from across the world." said Felix.
‘BCCI yet to decide on playing with Pakistan’
Karachi: The Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) has neither approved nor rejected playing 19 matches with Pakistan in the new bilateral series plan floated at the recent International Cricket Council (ICC) meeting in Auckland, said PCB chief Najam Sethi. Pakistan and India are slated to play 19 matches in the new Future Tours Program schedule, which will come into force from 2019 for four years as per the recommendations of the ICC. "The ICC floated an FTP for all Test playing nations for the period 2019-2023 including the Pakistan-India matches. The BCCI has neither approved nor rejected the proposed FTP," Sethi told the media here. He said Pakistan had objected to the proposed FTP as it wanted the ICC to schedule the same number of matches in the four years that were outlined in the MoU signed between the two boards in 2014.
Bengaluru fail to reach AFC Cup final
Bengaluru: Bengaluru FC's bid to reach the AFC Cup final for the second consecutive year ended in heart-break as they were held to a 2-2 draw by FC Istiklol of Tajikistan here on Wednesday. Bengaluru conceded a goal as early as the fourth minute when the Tajikistan side scored through a penalty converted by Nuriddin Davronov. Bengaluru equalised in the 24th minute through Rahul Bheke but they were reduced to 10 men as Harmanjot Khabra was shown a red card. Bengaluru played the whole of the second half with 10 men and FC Istiklol took advantage through a goal by Dmitri Barkov. Sunil Chhetri restored parity in the 65th minute but that was not enough for his side.