Tokyo 2020: Mighty Australia hammer India 7-1 in men's hockey
Tokyo, Jul 25: The Indian men's hockey team was pummelled 1-7 by world number one Australia in their second pool A match of the Olympic Games here on Sunday, a morale-shattering loss that exposed every possible chink in the side's armour.
The mighty Kookaburras simply toyed with the Indian defence after the first quarter and scored goals at will to comfortably secure their second consecutive win in the competition. For India, it was their biggest loss since Australian Graham Reid took charge of the team as coach in April 2019.
Australia looked dominant and were in complete control from the onset, scoring goals through Daniel Beale (10th minute), Joshua Beltz (26th), Andrew Flynn Ogilvie (23rd), Jeremy Hayward (21st), Blake Govers (40th, 42nd) and Tim Brand (51st) to secure the easy win.
India's lone goal came from the stick of Dilpreet Singh in the 34th minute.
India had earlier defeated New Zealand 3-2 in their opening fixture on Saturday.
The Manpreet Singh-led side will next play Spain on Tuesday
The eight-time former champions looked completely off colour from the first whistle and the team's backline was put under relentless pressure by the Australians.
In the first quarter, the Indians put up a semblance of fight but in the next 15 minutes it was all Kookaburras, pumping goals at will.
However, it was India who had the first chance at the goal, earning a penalty corner in the eighth minute, but Harmanpreet Singh failed to execute from the set piece.
Two minutes later, Australia surged ahead when Beale deflected in Jacob Whetton's strike after a poor penalty corner execution.
A minute later, Dilpreet missed a golden chance from close range to level the scores.
India custodian PR Sreejesh then made a double save to keep the Australians at bay.
India were unlucky not to have equalised just seconds from the first quarter when Rupinder Pal Singh's low flick from their second penalty corner was brilliantly saved at the goalline by Andrew Flynn Ogilvie.
But the second quarter completely belonged to Australia as they scored three goals in a span of five minutes to take the game away from their opponents.
First Hayward found the net from Australia's third penalty corner and then Ogilivie slammed home from top right corner of the circle with a fierce hit past Sreejesh in front of the Indian goal.
If that was not enough, Beltz added to India's misery with a fourth goal, four minutes before half time with a reverse hit.
The Indians showed some spark after the change of ends and attacked the Australian goal in numbers. In the process they secured three back-to-back penalty corners but wasted all of them.
Four minutes into the third quarter, Dilpreet infused some life into the game by pulling one back for India, beautifully deflecting in Rupinder's defence splitting pass from the mid-field.
India wasted another penalty corner in the 40th minute when Mandeep Singh failed to deflect in Amit Rohidas' lay-off.
But that was all India could manage as Australia slowly tightened their defence and withstood the pressure.
The Kookaburras managed to turn the tide and scored three more goals to hand India a humiliating loss.
Govers scored two goals in quick succession -- first from the spot and then from a penalty corner -- before Tim Brand rounded off the tally by finding the net from a tight angle nine minutes from the hooter.
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Farmers' agitation: SC asks high-powered committee to submit recommendations
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Friday asked a high-powered committee, which was constituted to amicably resolve the grievances of the farmers who held an agitation at the Shambhu border between Punjab and Haryana in 2024, to submit its report-cum-recommendations.
The farmers were protesting over a plethora of demands, including a legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) for their produce.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi noted that the matter involving the blockade of highways, particularly at the Shambhu border, stands resolved and vehicles are plying there without any obstruction.
"It seems to us that the matter is now ripe to close these proceedings. This can be done after obtaining a report from the high-powered committee containing their brief suggestions, which can then be forwarded to the appropriate authorities," the bench said.
"We impress upon the committee to submit its report-cum-recommendations...," it added.
The bench said the report-cum-recommendations should be in a sealed cover and the committee would not divulge its content in the public domain until further orders of the court.
The five-member high-powered committee is headed by former Punjab and Haryana High Court judge Nawab Singh.
In September 2024, observing that the farmers' protest should not be politicised, the apex court constituted the committee to amicably resolve their grievances.
The top court had said the issues facing the farmers should not be politicised and be considered by the committee in a phased manner.
The court had passed the order while hearing the Haryana government's plea challenging the Punjab and Haryana High Court's March 2024 order, asking it to remove within a week the barricades erected at the Shambhu border, near Ambala, where the protesting farmers were camping since February 13, 2024.
The Haryana government had set up barricades on the Ambala-New Delhi national highway in February 2024, after the Samyukta Kisan Morcha (Non-Political) and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha announced that the farmers would march to Delhi in support of their demands.
