Asian Games 2014 Day 6 Highlights: Pakistan Edge out India in Hockey Thriller; Manoj Kumar Boxed Out
India once again failed to win a gold in the Asian Games in Incheon on Thursday. Rowers won two bronze and the shooters salvaged some pride with a team medal as India failed to break into the top-10.
India's poor run at the Asian Games continued on Day 6 as well. While Shooters bagged a bronze, rowers settled for two more to get the rare cheer. India suffered their first defeat in men's hockey, going down against traditional-rivals Pakistan. Highlights of the sixth day. (MEDALS TALLY)
What do you feel about India's performance at the Asian Games so far? Write in at myvoice@ndtv.com. Best entries will feature here in our live blog.
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18:33 (IST): China's controversial swimming superstar Sun Yang has taken a potshot at rival Japan's national anthem, describing it as "ugly". "Honestly speaking the Japanese national anthem sounds ugly." (Read full story)
18:29 (IST): Qatar's women basketball players Thursday slammed a ban on them wearing the hijab headscarf as an "insult", after forfeiting a second match. (Read)
India's failure to add a second gold or a second silver has pained Sahil Batla (sahil@vinsol.com). On India's performance at the Asian Games, Sahil writes:
"It has been a mixed bag in which India is making their presence felt in sports like squash and wushu while on the other hand, India have been missing out golden opportunities. especially in shooting (Abhinav Bindra ending with a bronze) and squash (Saurav Ghosal missing gold after being on a match point). Other disappointments in shooting, badminton, basketball, soccer( no goals scored in the group stage) and now boxing, where Manoj Kumar lost in the round of 32 itself is reflecting the lack of practice or determination from Indian athletes. Tennis is also an area in which India do not look so dominant this year."
18:14 (IST): India remain 15th in the medal tally with one gold, one silver and 13 bronze - total 15 medals.
18:00 (IST): Cricket NEWS - A special treat awaits fans of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. A biopic on the life of the cricketer is all set for a 2015 release with actor Sushant Singh Rajput playing the lead role. (Read more)
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17:20 (IST): Hockey - India lost their first match in three outings. The defeat against Pakistan will make things tougher for Sardar Singh's young team in the Asian Games. India lost 2-1.
Boxer Manoj Kumar looked totally out of touch. He had wasted more time running around for the Arjuna Award than train for #AsianGames. Sad!
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
17:13 (IST): Boxing - K Masatsugu Kawachi of Japan wins the bout on points. This was quite a close fight. Manoj Kumar will be disappointed with the decision.
17:10 (IST): Boxing - Manoj Kumar looks exhausted in the third round. The Japanese stays away from Manoj's erratic punches.
17:07 (IST): Boxing - Kawachi slightly ahead on points. If the Japanese wins this round of 32 bout, it will be an upset of sorts.
17:05 (IST): Boxing - World No. 8 Manoj Kumar and Kawachi involved in a slugfest. Very scrappy first two rounds. The Japanese trying to use his better reach. Kumar losing his footing a few times.
17:00 (IST): Boxing - One of three judges favours Manoj Kumar vs K Masatsugu after 1st round. Manoj was overlooked by the Kapil Dev-led Arjuna Awards selection committee, which mistakenly believed that he was involved in a doping case. But the sports ministry finally agreed to give the award to him.
16:56 (IST): Boxing - India's Manoj Kumar gets set for 64kg bout against Japan's K Masatsugu. Manoj was in news recently after being snubbed for Arjuna Award. Angry with the government's decision not to give him the award, Manoj had filed a case in the Delhi High Court.
16:40 (IST): Squash - India lose 2-1 to Malaysia in men's team Group B match. Kush Kumar and Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu lost their matches, while Mahesh Mangaonkar registered a win.
03:54 (IST): Kim Un-Ju gave North Korea their fourth weightlifting gold medal of the Asian Games on Thursday with a stunning 164kg clean and jerk world record in the women's 75kg for a 295kg total.
03:44 (IST): Squash, Men's Team: India trail Malaysia 1-0 in Group B.
03:35 pm IST: Did you know? Indian boxer Devendro Singh took up the sport after watching his elder sister compete in it.
03:31 pm IST: Boxing: Devendro Singh beats Kuwait's Albathali Fahad in Men's Light Fly Round of 32 through a walkover. So, an easy passage for Devendro in boxing, a sport where India is expected to reap rich rewards and boost India's medal tally at the 2014 Asian Games, which have till now seen the country win 13 bronze medals, 1 gold and 1 silver.
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03:28 (IST): Boxing: Laishram Devendro Singh will now compete in his Men's Light Fly Rd of 32 clash vs Kuwait's Albathali Fahad.
03:17 pm IST: Badminton: Reddy-Attri beat China's Xiaolong Liu-Zihan Qiu 21-17, 21-16 in Men's Doubles Round of 16.
03:15 (IST): Archery: Abhishek Verma beats South Korea's Yonghee Choi 147-142 to enter Compound Men's Individual Semis.
03:08 (IST): Day 6 Recap. Sawarn Singh won bronze for India in the men's single sculls event. The Indian men's team also won a bronze in the men's eight event. In shooting, the women's double trap team bagged a bronze.
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Two goals in two minutes, Pakistan edge out India 2-1. Defensive errors kill India again. PC conversion remains a worry #AsianGames #INDvPAK
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
02:56 (IST): India lose 2-1 versus Pakistan in a top-of-the-group men's hockey clash. First defeat in three games for India.
02:55 (IST): India had beaten Pakistan 3-2 in the 2010 Games in Guangzhou and more recently in the 2013 Azlan Shah Cup, India again won 4-2.
02:47 (IST): 55' Pakistan have the lead again after a great scramble, Waqas romps it in! Pak 2 India 1.
02:45 (IST): 53' Nikkin Thimmaiah scores and India are back on level terms! India 1 Pakistan 1.    ÂÂ
02:40 (IST): 49' Another near-miss for India and Pakistan still hold a 1-0 advantage. India have been unlucky today but this was the first time the green Pakistani shirts provided an opportunity for the Indian attack to flick it inside the goal, and it went wide!
There seems to be more Pakistan supporters in Incheon. Where are the Indians? Need #MakeInIndia voices for Sardar's team #AsianGames
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
02:34 (IST): Pakistan lead India 1-0 at the end of the 3rd quarter. Only 15 minutes left in the game now.
If India lose to Pakistan, they will most probably meet the strong Koreans in semis. Pakistan will play Malaysia #AsianGames hockey
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
02:27 (IST): 39' Pakistan are on the board in this tough clash vs IND. Bhutta scores (37th minute), India 0 Pakistan 1. In a low-scoring match like this, Pakistan surely have the advantage.
Walsh hasn't been able to address India's biggest problem -- conceding goals in big games and crunch times Pak lead 1-0 (37th) #AsianGames
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
India more defensive. Pakistan very quick on counterattacks. India have wasted 2 PCs. The 'disease' remains #INDvPAK #AsianGames
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
02:25 (IST): 37' India are continuing to press with their short passing game in the circle. Still 0-0.
02:23 (IST): 35' Pakistani defenders stand like a wall in front of the creative Indian forwards...0-0.
02:11 (IST): India-Pakistan 0-0 at the end of the 1st half in this top of the table Pool B clash.
02:08 (IST): 29' Both teams looking not to concede any goals. One minute left before a 10-minute 1st half break.
02:05 (IST): 27' Still 0-0 but it has been a wonderful game of hockey so far between India and Pakistan. The game is being played with enormous pace.
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Pakistan the better side in the first quarter. More probing in attack #INDvPAK #AsianGames. Revenge game for Pak too having lost in 2010
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 25, 2014
2:00 (IST): Men's Hockey: 23' Pakistan's Waqas misses a rare opportunity, he had a lot of space to score. Still 0-0. Pakistan are definitely quicker and they are using that advantage on the counter-attack very effectively.
1:56 (IST): Men's Hockey: 21' India win another penalty corner. Dharamveer injects the ball, plenty of power from Raghunath but no accuracy, he misses.
1:55 (IST): Men's Hockey: 21' India have won Asian Games gold only twice, in 1966 and 1998. Still India 0 Pakistan 0.
1:51 (IST): Men's Hockey: 16' Akashdeep wastes India's first real chance after a Raghunath injection early in second quarter...0-0.
1:47 (IST): Men's Hockey: India-Pakistan locked 0-0 at the end of the first quarter.
1:45 (IST): Men's Hockey: 14' Loud shouts from the supporters fill the stadium in this exciting Indo-Pak clash. Still 0-0.
1:42 (IST): Men's Hockey: 12' Pakistan starting to exert a lot of influence on the Indian defense. Scores tied 0-0. The Pakistani team was close to scoring on two occasions though.
1:41 (IST): Less than 5 mins to go before end of the 1st quarter. Pakistan are defending champions and have won the Asian Games gold medal in hockey eight times. Still 0-0.
1:38 (IST): Men's Hockey: 8' India also squander their first penalty corner chance. Still 0-0.
1:36 (IST): Men's Hockey: 7' India dodge a bullet as Pakistan fail to convert from the penalty corner.
1:35 (IST): Men's Hockey: 6' The first penalty corner of the match goes Pakistan's way. Scores tied at 0-0.
1:33 (IST): Men's Hockey: 3' Pakistani fans get excited as Pak make their 1st venture into the Indian half. Still 0-0. It is turning out to be a great spectacle in Incheon. The commentator points out that the India-Pakistan rivalry in sports has always been interesting.
Two men will have to control their sides. Sardar Singh (191 caps for India) and Shakeel Abbasi (246 caps for Pakistan). #AsianGames #INDvPAK
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 24, 2014
1:30 (IST): Men's Hockey: The India-Pakistan Pool B match is now underway.
1:11 (IST): Men's Hockey: India will take on arch-rivals Pakistan at 1:30 pm IST.
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1:08 (IST): Tennis, Women's Doubles: Sunkara/Rana lose 6-1, 6-4 to Japanese duo of Hozumi/Aoyama in Round 2.
1:06 (IST): Archery, Women's Compound Individual: India's Purvasha Shende loses 143-140 to Jihyun Seok of South Korea in quarters.
1:02 (IST): A teenage Cambodian soft tennis player has failed an Asian Games drug test and been kicked out, the second athlete to be caught for doping this week, organisers said Thursday.
12:53 (IST): Archery, Women's Compound Individual: Trisha Deb beats Iran's Shabnam Sarlak 142-131 to reach semis.
12:45 (IST): China broke the world record in the men's 50m rifle prone team event at the Asian Games shooting competition in Incheon on Thursday. Read more here.
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12:32 (IST): Qatar official says women's basketball team is withdrawing from Asian Games over Hijab ruling.
12:30 (IST): Squash, Women's Team Group B: India beat China 3-0 as Pallikal eases past Dongjin 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5.
12:19 (IST): South Korea set a world record in the women's compound archery team event on Thursday at the Asian Games after scoring 238 out of 240 points.
12:17 (IST): Match-fixing suspicions hit the Asian Games men's football competition on Thursday after a betting analysis company said there were strong indications of manipulation. Asian Games organisers promised a full investigation after the claim by Swiss-based Sportradar surfaced in a Singapore newspaper.
12:02 (IST): Tennis, Men's Singles: Yuki Bhambri beats Mohammed Jabor of Qatar 6-1, 6-0 to reach Round 3.
11:44 (IST): Archery, Men's Compound Team: India beat Iran 231-227 to reach the final! At least a silver medal assured for India in this event! Rajat Chauhan, Sandeep Kumar and Abhishek Verma constitute the Indian team.
11:35 (IST): Tennis, Men's Doubles: Sanam Singh-Saketh Myneni beat Nam/Cho of South Korea 6-3, 6-4 to reach Rd 2.
11:25 (IST): Badminton, Women's Singles: Sindhu loses 20-22, 21-16, 22-20 to Manuputty of Indonesia in Round of 16.
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11:10 (IST): Sepaktakraw: Indian men's team was thrashed 3-0 by South Korea in their preliminary group A match. Indian women are slated to play South Korea in a team Preliminary group B match later in the day.
11:07 (IST): Badminton, Women's Singles: PV Sindhu down 5-2 in deciding game vs Bellaetrix Manuputty of Indonesia.
10:54 (IST): Archery, Women's Compound Team Semifinals: India lose to Chinese Taipei in a close battle. Taipei won 226-224.
10:47 (IST): India have ended their rowing campaign in the 2014 Asian Games with three bronze medals.
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10:36 (IST): Archery, Women's Compound Team Semifinals: India taking on Chinese Taipei right now.
10:33 (IST): Shooting, Double Trap Women's Individual: Shagun Chowdhary finished 8th, Shreyasi Singh 10th, Varsha Varman 12th.
10:31 (IST): Shooting, Double Trap Men's Team: India finish sixth behind UAE, South Korea, Kuwait, China and Qatar.
10:23 (IST): Badminton, Women's Singles Rd of 16: PV Sindhu in action now vs Bellaetrix Manuputty of Indonesia.
10:14 (IST): Badminton, Women's Singles: Saina Nehwal beats Iran's Soraya Aghaeihajiagha 21-7, 21-6 to reach quarters.
10:01 (IST): Badminton, Women's Singles: Saina Nehwal wins 1st game 21-7 vs Iran's Soraya Aghaeihajiagha.
9:46 (IST): Badminton, Women's Singles: Saina Nehwal will play her Rd of 16 match vs Iran's Soraya Aghaeihajiagha now.
India seems stuck in the Bronze Age at the #AsianGames. When will the golden era dawn?
- Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) September 25, 2014
9:24 (IST): India win shooting bronze in women's double trap team event. The Indian team comprising Shagun Chowdhary, Shreyasi Singh and Varsha Varman accumulated 279 points to finish third behind China and South Korea, who clinched gold and silver, respectively.
9:19 (IST): Shooting, 25m Standard Pistol Men's: Gurpreet Singh finishes fourth in finals, misses out narrowly on bronze.
9:11 (IST): Tennis, Women's Singles: Ankita Raina beats Mongolia's Dulguunjargal Gotov 6-0, 6-0 to reach 3rd round.
9:07 (IST): Archery, Women's Compound Individual: Trisha Deb beats Yumiko Honda of Japan 146-40 to reach quarters.
8:58 (IST): India win rowing bronze in the men's eight event.
8:53 (IST): Did you know? Sawarn Singh, India's rowing bronze medallist took up the sport in 2009 in Hyderabad and made his international debut in the same year.
8:50 (IST): Badminton, Mixed Doubles, Rd of 32: India's Attri/Reddy beat Rasheed/Sharafuddeen of Maldives 21-8, 21-4.
8:30 (IST): Rowing: India finish fifth in lightweight men's quadruple sculls final.
8:24 (IST): Tennis: Sanam Singh beats Kuwait's Alshatti 6-1, 6-2 to move into the third round in men's singles.
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8:12 (IST): Squash, Men's Team: India beat Japan 3-0 in Group B.
07:58 (IST): BRONZE FOR INDIA! Rower Sawarn Singh wins bronze in men's single sculls event.
07:38 (IST): Sepaktakraw, Men's Team Preliminary Group A: India lose 3-0 to South Korea.
07:26 (IST): Rowing, Men's Double Sculls: Indian team of Om Prakash and Bhokanal Dattu Baban finishes 5th.
07:12 (IST): Archery, Women's Compound Team: India will take on Chinese Taipei in the semifinals.
07:10 (IST): Shooting, Men's 25m Standard Pistol: Gurpreet Singh ends 5th, Mahaveer Singh 17th, Samaresh Jung 24th.
07:08 (IST): Shooting, 25m Standard Pistol Men's Team: India finish 5th behind Vietnam, Singapore, South Korea & China.
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7:04 (IST): Shooting, Men's 50m Rifle Prone: Joydeep Karmakar finishes 10th in qualification, Narang 14th, Hariom Singh 29th.
7:01 (IST): Shooting, 50m Rifle Prone Men's Team Finals: India finish fourth behind Kazakhstan, South Korea and China.
6:59 (IST): Archery: The Indian men's compound team will take on Malaysia in the quarterfinals.
6:57 (IST): Badminton: Kashyap beats Afghanistan's Iqbal 21-6, 21-6 to move into pre-quarters in the singles draw.
6:55 (IST): Badminton: Dewalkar/Gadre lose 20-22, 21-17, 13-21 to Triyachart/Yao in mixed doubles round of 32.
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Even as India will be hoping for a clutch of medals from badminton and squash, Thursday will be hockey's day. India will be guaranteed a berth in the 2016 Olympics in Rio if they can strike gold at Incheon. It was in Bangkok in 1998 that India last won the Asian Games gold. India's current international form has been topsy-turvy. Against Pakistan, Sardar Singh's team can ill-afford a defeat or even a draw. A win will almost certainly take India to the top of their group and avoid a potential clash with hosts South Korea in the semifinals.
#INDvPAK will be youth vs experience. Pak have edge with Waqas and captain Md Imran having played more than 400 internationals #AsianGames
- soumitra bose (@soumitra65) September 24, 2014
India have scored 15 goals in their first two matches against Sri Lanka and Oman by this can be misleading. India messed up an equal number of chances and more importantly, from set-pieces. That's India's biggest problem.
History never impacts a clash between India and Pakistan. The team that translates emotions and conviction into goals usually triumphs and Thursday is going to be no different. India had beaten Pakistan 3-2 in the 2010 Games in Guangzhou and more recently in the 2013 Azlan Shah Cup, India won again 4-2. So, it's revenge time for Pakistan!
Two key players in the Indian camp are doubtful starters. Short-corner specialist Rupinderpal Singh's injury is more worrying. V. Raghunath certainly needs Rupinderpal during set-pieces while Gurwinder Chandi speed and opportunism are something that India can't afford to miss.
Some hope - the events where India got 10 of its 14 golds in 2010 are still to come. Athletics, boxing, kabaddi and rowing.
- Vikram Chandra (@vikramchandra) September 24, 2014
Six shooting gold medals will be decided on Thursday. Indians drew a blank on Wednesday. India's only gold came on Day 1 from Jitu Rai. Once again, the Chinese and the Koreans will be the ones to beat to hit bull's eye. Focus will also be on archer Deepika Kumari, who still remains in fray for a medal.
Meanwhile, our reader Sandeep Gawade (sandeepgawade86@gmail.com) has asked a pertinent question:
When Indian players participate in shooting or archery World Cups, they win so many medals and also grab the top positions. But when they play in the Olympics and the Asian Games, they produce their worst performance. This is a mystery to me."
Watch this space for more.