Gold Coast (Australia), April 10: India qualified for the semi-finals of the men's hockey tournament after defeating Malaysia 2-1 in a Pool B match at the 21st Commonwealth Games on Tuesday.
Harmanpreet Singh (3rd, 44th minutes) converted a couple of penalty corner while the experienced Faizal Saari (16th) reduced the deficit for Malaysia immediately after the start of the second quarter.
This is India's second consecutive win of their current campaign. India now top the pool table with seven points from three matches.
They will play their last pool match against second placed England on Wednesday. With the top two teams advancing to the last four stage, India are assured of a place in the semi-finals as they will finish second in the pool in case of a loss.
However, England face a must win contest as a defeat will put their chances in jeopardy.
India had squandered a 2-0 lead to be held to a last gasp 2-2 draw by arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match. The former Olympic champions then defeated Wales 4-3 in a high scoring encounter.
"We are happy to be on the winning side. I think the team has improved since our first match against Pakistan. Though there are still certain areas we must get better with, this win will give the team a good momentum for the next match," India's chief coach Sjoerd Marijne said after the match.
"It's not about the opponents but our own game. I am yet to see this team come up with a 7/10 performance in this tournament. If each of them manage to play their role to perfection, I am confident of a good show against England," he added.
India got off to an ideal start with forward Mandeep Singh winning the first penalty corner of the match in the second minute.
Harmanpreet came up with a perfect dragflick, improvising on the injection and keeping the ball low to his right to find the gap and fetch India an early lead.
Though Malaysia too won a penalty in the fifth minute, Razie Rahim's flick was off the mark.
Buoyed by the lead, the Indians dominated possession and kept the Malaysian defenders on their toes with a constant stream of attacks.
Forced to defend in numbers Malaysia focussed on keeping out the Indian attacks and hitting back with the occasional counter-attack.
Malaysia found the equaliser immediately after the start of the second quarter as a fast move down the right saw Faisal beat the Indian defence with an excellent run before receiving a defence splitting pass which found him in a one to one situation with India goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh.
Faisal did well to control the ball before beating Sreejesh with a superb finish from a tight angle.
Although the Indians continued to dominate ball possession, they found it tough to penetrate the well-organised Malaysian defence.
The Indians did create a few chances with Mandeep and Gurjant missing the target in the 21st and 28th minutes respectively.
The Indians also did poorly with the penalty corners as they squandered seven of the nine set pieces they earned over the course of the match.
India upped their attack in the third quarter, pushing for the elusive lead. Dilpreet Singh had a shot on goal but was saved by the Malaysian defence.
Harmanpreet found the decisive goal in the closing stages of the third quarter when he converted a penalty corner with an excellent placing into the top left corner that beat the Malaysian custodian with its power and precision.
The fourth period saw the Indian continue to dominate their opponents although the Malaysians attacked desperately in the final few minutes to ensure a tense finish.
S.V. Sunil earned India a penalty corner in the 57th minute. But an alert Malaysian goalkeeper came up with a brilliant save to keep Harmanpreet Singh from completing his hat-trick.
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Bengaluru, Feb 8 (PTI): The Metro rail ride in Bengaluru will be costlier by about 50 per cent as the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Saturday effected a hike on the recommendation of the Fare Fixation Committee, which will come into force from Sunday onwards.
According to the BMRCL's press release, it has also introduced separate tariffs for peak and non-peak hours just like the hail taxi riders - Ola and Uber.
The maximum fare has been enhanced from Rs 60 to Rs 90 and the minimum balance has been increased from Rs 50 to Rs 90.
The fare for a travel between 0-2 kilometres will be Rs 10, 2 km to 4 km - Rs 20, 4 km to 6 km - Rs 30, 6 km to 8 km - Rs 40, 8 km to 10 km - Rs 50, 10 km to 12 km - Rs 60, 15 km to 20 km - Rs 70, 20 km to 25 km - Rs 80, 25 km to 30 km and above would be Rs 90.
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"The Fare Fixation Committee submitted its report recommending the revised fare structure on December 16, 2024. As per section 37 of the Metro Railway O&M Act, the recommendations made by the Fare Fixation Committee shall be binding on the Metro Railway Administration," BMRCL said.
Accordingly, with the due approval of BMRCL Board, the revised fare structure will come into effect from February 9, 2025.
Regarding the peak hour tariff system, the BMRCL said it will offer an additional five per cent discount on Smart cards at the rate of five per cent during peak hour along with five per cent off peak hour, which will be an effective 10 per cent for travel during off-peak hour based on the time of entry into the Metro system.
The non peak hours will resume from the time the Metro services start in the day up to 8 am, again from noon to 4 pm and 9 pm to closing hours on week days.
The Metro Rail authorities also said that there will be a discount offer on smart cards at the rate of 10 per cent on all Sundays and national holidays.
The hike comes close on the heels of 15 per cent hike in government bus fare in Karnataka.
Last month, Bengaluru Central MP, P C Mohan had posted on 'X' that the proposed hike in metro fare has been put on hold.
"BMRCL’s proposed 45% metro fare hike, set for Feb 1, has been put on hold. The Modi government has directed BMRCL to submit a comprehensive report before making any decision. A big win for the people of Bengaluru—ensuring transparency, accountability, and fair metro pricing," he said on 'X'.
Namma metro Fare Update :As per the Fare Fixation Committee’s recommendations, the revised fare structure takes effect from 9th Feb 2025. 5% discount on Smart Cards continues. Check the media release for details. pic.twitter.com/oEgv0kbcOZ
— ನಮ್ಮ ಮೆಟ್ರೋ (@OfficialBMRCL) February 8, 2025