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Asian Games: India men's volleyball team stun South Korea to enter knock-outs
The win means India have now advanced to the pre-quarters where they will face three-time Asian Games bronze medallists Chinese Taipei
India's men's volleyball team, ranked 73 in the world, stunned continental powerhouses and world No. 27 South Korea 3-2 (25-27, 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 17-15) in a nail-biting encounter at the Linping Sports Center Gymnasium here on Wednesday to notch their second consecutive win in as many matches and top the pool standings. Grouped in Pool C, India had beaten Cambodia 3-0 (25-14, 25-13, 25-19) on Tuesday.
South Korea, the 2018 Asian Games silver medallists, won the first set in 32 minutes, but the Indians, riding on some exemplary attacking play from wing spiker Amit Guria, stormed back to take the next two.
Guria, in fact, ended the match as the top scorer with 24 points, followed by Ashwal Rai (16) and Vinit Kumar (15). India looked primed to wrap up the game in four after taking the second and third sets, but the Koreans, particularly NA Gyeongbok, dug in. Errors from Erin Varghese didn't help India's cause as Koreans drew level.
The fifth set was a cagey affair too with India slipping from 8-4 up to trailing 11-10. Korea saved two match points and had a match point saved but eventually, India held on to secure a famous win in 2 hours and 23 minutes.
"It was a good, tense match and showed our class. The team arrived here about 4-5 days back and has had a few training sessions over the past week, all of which came in handy against a very tough opponent," said assistant coach Tom Joseph. The Koreans outscored India 83-67 in attack, but the Indians got their blocks right. Thirty-six unforced errors from the Koreans did their bit too.
"I think we attacked very well, particularly Amit. Erin had a tough game but the decision to substitute him in the fourth set worked. Ashwal Rai and Manoj Manjunatha were very good with the blocks," he said.
The win means India have now advanced to the pre-quarters where they will face three-time Asian Games bronze medallists -- including at the 2018 edition -- Chinese Taipei who are ranked 43rd in the world.
India's last medal in the competition came in 1986 when they won the bronze. At the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia, India had finished 12th. At last month's Asian Championships held in Iran, India had made the final 12 before going down to China 3-2.
With world No.5 Japan, world No. 11 Iran, and world No. 17 Qatar waiting, India who have had only a handful of matches over the past year, face an uphill task. For now, though, they can live a dream.
