Women's Hockey WC: India hold US, qualify for quarters playoffs
London, July 30 :India qualified for the playoffs of the quarter-finals in the Women's Hockey World Cup as they held higher-ranked United States 1-1 in their third and final Pool B match at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre here on Sunday.
The Indian team displayed great character and a solid defensive structure throughout the match to earn the draw as captain Rani Rampal (31st minute) cancelled out Margaux Paolino's 11th-minute goal.
With the first-placed team in the pool, Ireland advancing directly to the quarter-finals, england and India are certain to finish second and third -- thereby both securing a spot in the playoffs. Though the US have two points -- same as India and England -- the former is behind on goal difference. Ireland take on England later in the day.
India needed at least a draw against the US to keep their chances alive for the last eight stage after playing a draw against England before losing to Ireland.
India started the match against the US on the front foot as they showed some quick passing, but had a scare in the fourth minute when their captain Rani was forced off with a twisted ankle.
The World No. 10 team won their first penalty corner of the match in the seventh minute, but Gurjit Kaur's flick was saved by US goalkeeper Jackie Briggs.
India dominated possession and pressed the Americans but the 11th minute saw the US take the lead as Indian goalkeeper Savita was called into action when Erin Matson's shot was saved by the shotstopper. However the rebound was put into the back of the net through Savita's legs by Margaux Paolino.
India looked for an equaliser and were threatening the US defence with some good build-up play; winning their two more penalty corners in the first quarter, but Gurjit Kaur's efforst were not enough.
India continued to put pressure on the US in the second quarter which saw Rani's drive being intercepted by a defender while the captain's penalty corner strike was deflected away by Briggs in the first five minutes of this quarter.
The US earned two penalty corners late in the second quarter but Savita and her defence set-up foiled them, as India trailed 0-1 at the half-time.
After the break, Rani continued to make incursions into the box. In the first minute of the third quarter, she flicked the ball onto Michelle Vittese's foot inside the striking circle. Rani slammed home from the resulting penalty corner to bring India level.
India displayed a great defensive structure throughout the third quarter as they denied the US any opportunity to create chances. In the 43rd minute, India's Sunita Lakra made a crunching tackle to deny Michelle Vittese a shot as Savita cleared the ball.
In the final quarter, India maintained a nice balance of attack and defence as they stopped the US from gaining lead, as the match ended in a draw.
Rani said after the match: "I think both the teams fought well throughout the match, US had their chances, and I am proud of our team that we defended well throughout the match.
"We knew we had to take our chances against this strong US team, and we made sure that we earned this draw which keeps us in the competition."
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Rupee plunges 28 paise to settle at 93.44 against US dollar
Mumbai (PTI): The rupee declined 28 paise to close at 93.44 against the US dollar on Tuesday, weighed down by a steady American currency and volatile crude oil prices amid uncertainties over the progress of West Asia peace negotiations.
Positive domestic equity markets failed to boost local currency, which also had some impact of the Reserve Bank's latest move to ease curbs on speculative bets in non-deliverable forward markets, forex analysts said.
The Reserve Bank on Monday partially withdrew directives taken on April 1 to curb excessive speculation in the rupee. The banking regulator had capped the net open positions in non-deliverable forward markets at USD 100 million, mandating banks to comply by April 10.
Under revised directives, authorised dealers or banks can resume offering non-deliverable derivative contracts involving INR to resident or non-resident users, but must comply with certain restrictions on related-party transactions. Also, the USD 100-million cap in net open position is still effective.
At the interbank foreign exchange market, the rupee opened at 93.25 and fell to an intra-day low of 93.63 before ending the session 28 paise lower at 93.44 against the greenback.
On Monday, the rupee settled with a loss of 25 paise at 93.16 against the US dollar. The currency had gained 47 paise in the preceding two sessions.
Anuj Choudhary, Research Analyst at Mirae Asset ShareKhan, said the rupee fell on uncertainty over US-Iran talks and a surge in crude oil prices. A strong dollar also pressured the rupee; however, positive global markets cushioned the downside.
"Traders may take cues from retail sales and ADP employment change data from the US. USD-INR spot price is expected to trade in a range of Rs 93.30 to Rs 93.90," Choudhary said.
Jateen Trivedi, VP Research Analyst - Commodity and Currency, LKP Securities, said the rupee traded weaker as recent RBI adjustments and partial rollback of earlier currency-support measures added pressure on the local unit.
"At the same time, the dollar remains steady while crude and gold are relatively stable, with markets closely watching the outcome of US-Iran ceasefire developments expected tomorrow. The rupee is likely to remain highly event-driven, with direction dependent on geopolitical clarity and RBI stance," Trivedi said.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, rose 0.19 per cent to 98.09.
Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, was trading 0.70 per cent down at USD 94.81 per barrel in futures trade.
Analysts attributed the volatility in crude prices to persistent worries over disruptions of supplies of oil from the Strait of Hormuz. Also, the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran is scheduled to expire on Wednesday.
In a latest development, Iran's chief negotiator on Tuesday said Tehran would not negotiate in the face of threats, while US President Donald Trump hinted that he was in no rush to end the conflict with Iran.
In the domestic equity markets the 30-share Sensex rose 753.03 points, or 0.96 per cent, to settle at 79,273.33, while the Nifty rose 211.75 points, or 0.87 per cent, to 24,576.60.
Foreign Institutional Investors offloaded equities worth about Rs 1,918.99 crore on Tuesday, according to the exchange data.
