Indian men's hockey team hammers New Zealand 5-0 to win Olympic Test Event
Tokyo: The Indian men's hockey team won the Olympic Test event here on Wednesday, beating New Zealand 5-0 to avenge the loss it endured in their round robin clash. Captain Harmanpreet Singh (7th minute) set the ball rolling before Shamsher Singh (18th minute), Nilakanta Sharma (22nd minute), Gursahibjit Singh (26th minute) and Mandeep Singh (27th minute) scored for India at the Oi Hockey Stadium here.
India had lost 1-2 to New Zealand earlier in round robin league-stage. "We played very well. We managed to score our opportunities at the start of the game," Harmanpreet said after the triumph. "I think the final was always going to be tough, we lost to New Zealand earlier. But we had been having practice sessions after that and worked on our mistakes to win today," he added.
Both teams began the match on a cautious note by turning over the ball in the mid-field. India won a penalty corner in the seventh minute, but couldn't capitalise on the opportunity. However, skipper Harmanpreet didn't miss out on a re-awarded penalty corner. He executed a perfect dragflick to put India in the lead.
The Indian team continued to hold possession and put tremendous pressure on the New Zealand defense as they ended the first quarter at 1-0. Shamsher scored India's second goal through a penalty corner in the 18th minute.
New Zealand managed to make only two circle entries in the second quarter as the Indian team scored three more goals. Nilakanta found the back of the net in the 22nd minute before Gursahibjit and Mandeep scored in quick succession.
Vivek Prasad intercepted the ball brilliantly to assist a goal for Gursahibjit and Mandeep converted a penalty corner just before the half-time whistle. After an action-packed first half, the intensity dropped from both sides. New Zealand tried to make a few inroads in the third quarter as they took a shot in the 37th minute which went wide of the post.
Jarmanpreet Singh saved a penalty corner in the next minute as India and New Zealand played out a goalless quarter but the former held the lead at 5-0. In the last quarter, India ensured they stayed in the lead and didn't allow New Zealand to break through their defense throughout the match.
India's attacking approach in the match paid off as they walked off the pitch as winners of the competition.
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Elections have slipped out of Modi's hands: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday claimed the difference between his party's guarantees and 'Modi Ki Guarantee' is clear and added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi knows that the elections have "slipped out of his hands".
In a post in Hindi on X, Gandhi said the Congress guarantees a "government of Indians".
Listing some promises made by the Congress, Gandhi said women will get Rs 8,500 per month, youth will get a job that pays Rs 1 lakh per year, recruitment will be carried out for 30 lakh vacancies and legal MSP will be provided to farmers.
"Modi's guarantee: Adanis' government - The country's wealth in the pockets of billionaires; donation business extortion gang; Constitution and democracy are over; farmers facing a paucity of finances; the difference is clear!" the former Congress chief said.
"Congress will create crores of millionaires in India and Modi ji knows that the election has slipped out of his hands," he said.
Addressing a rally in Amravati, Gandhi on Wednesday had claimed that ten years of the Modi government saw only 22-25 persons becoming billionaires on the back of a Rs 16 lakh crore loan waiver, but if the INDIA bloc comes to power, it will make crores of people "lakhpatis".
Gandhi had also said no force in the world can change the Constitution of India. Congress leaders have accused the BJP of wanting to change the Constitution.
