CWG: India aim to book berth in men’s hockey semi-finals

Glasgow, Scotland: Securing two wins out of three matches, the Indian men hockey team is ready to take on South Africa in the fourth and the last preliminary match of the XX Commonwealth Games 2014 to be played at Glasgow, Scotland on 31 July 2014 and secure a spot in the semi-finals to maintain their hard earned dominance in the tournament.


Both India and South Africa with two wins each to their credit and 6 points each in their kitty, look forward to the clash with each other and securing a place in the semi-finals. While both the teams lost only one match out of three, both against Australia, the Indian team appears stronger than South Africa as the Indian team lost the powerful fight by a mere 2-4 against Australia, whereas South Africa suffered a major 6-0 loss.


Being praised for their last performance against Australia, Indian team looks head strong and confident to take on South Africa with favourable results. While South Africa’s Captain Austin Smith will be the player to watch out for because of the experience he brings along with him, it will be penalty corner specialist Rupinder Pal Singh who will be India’s reply to Austin Smith and prove to be a major threat for South Africa.


Speaking before the last preliminary match, Captain, Sardar Singh said, “All the players have been performing really well and I am pleased to see that the team has enough potential to take on any of the opponents and change the course of the game. Our next match against South Africa is a crucial match and we look forward to making our way into the semi-finals.”


Speaking on the match on Thursday, chief coach Terry Walsh said, “Our team has shown continuous improvement in the tournament to date. South Africa had some fine qualities in attack and we will be required to close down all avenues in their build up. A semi final position is at stake but more importantly our playing qualities will need to be in place for a good result. India is potentially able to have a significant impact on this tournament. This match will be a good guide as to our abilities.”


India will take on South Africa on 31 July 2014 at 2030 hrs IST and the match will be telecast on Ten Action, Ten Sports and Ten HD.