The Hindu : Sport / Volleyball : India wins final encounter, lifts trophy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 15, 2007
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Sport - Volleyball

India wins final encounter, lifts trophy

Principal Correspondent

— Photo: Mohammed Yousuf

COMFORTABLE CHAMPIONS: The victorious Indian team seen with the trophy after beating Pakistan.

HYDERABAD: Pakistan may have entertained hopes of taking on a complacent India in the fifth and final ‘Test’ with the host already clinching the series. But the Indians were in no mood to relax as it demolished the challenge with a clinical 25-19, 25-23, 25-23 victory to wrap up the five-match series 4-1 at Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy Indoor Stadium here on Tuesday.

In a way, Pakistanis flattered to deceive after taking a comfortable 9-4 lead with star spiker Naseer being the most prolific with his awesome smashes. More importantly captain Muhammad Zaman donned the role of booster to near perfection. But once India got its act together with spiker Sanjay Singh coming up with some telling angular smashes from the right, Pakistan suddenly started looking disjointed. If the Pakistanis thought of coming back into the game in the second set, they were again taken aback by the speed and precision with which India picked points.

With the first passes being on target, Sanjay Singh enjoyed more freedom with his powerful smashing shots down the centre.

Ahmed limps off

And to the chagrin of Pakistanis, their key player Naseer Ahmed limped off the court, with his team leading 16-12, with a sprain in the left-leg and never returned to the court. A blow which only compounded the misery of the visitors.

This was the phase when the normally unobtrusive Guruchand Singh came up with some deceptive drops confusing the rival defence. Two good smashes by Sanjay Singh and Kapil ensured that their team won the second set too.

In the decider, Pakistanis did threaten to extend the issue into the fourth set making amends as Ismail Khan and Khasif Mansoor came up with a good display at the net with their double-block which only ensured Mohaib Rasool and Irfan Nazar come up with some big points. However, India came back strongly by blending offence and defence effectively to maintain a slender lead in the third set.

Indian coach E. Sridharan later remarked that the victory should be a reminder that his team would be well prepared for the Asian championship in Jakarta later this month. “We never panicked and picked the crucial points when it mattered most,” he added.

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