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CWG: India’s men’s hockey team loses to New Zealand in semis (Lead)
Gold Coast (Australia), April 13 (IANS) The Indian men’s hockey team failed to recover from a poor start, losing to New Zealand 2-3 in a semi-final of the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Friday.
India put up a disastrous defensive performance in the first quarter to concede two goals to Hugo Inglis (7th minute), Stephen Jenness (13th). But Harmanpreet Singh converted a penalty stroke in the 29th minute. India trailed 1-2 at half-time.
Markus Child regained New Zealand’s two-goal lead in the 40th minute. India kept chasing and reduced the deficit to one in the 57th minute through a penalty corner but it proved to be too late to find an equaliser.
India will now head to the bronze medal playoff against the loser between Australia and England.
Coming into the semi-final, India lost the match in the first 15 minutes. It was a worst possible defensive performance to begin a semi-final.
The early focus seemed to be missing when the entire right flank lost its sense of positioning as Inglis intercepted defender Harmanpreet Singh to swiftly drive into the striking circle and employed a successful backhand shot past Indian goalkeeper P.R. Sreejesh.
Then, Inglis made the most of a poor pass from Manpreet Singh near top of the defending circle before passing it on to Jared Panchia, who straight drove at the Indian post. But poor communication among the defenders left Jenness unmarked. Jenness only had to nudge it past Sreejesh to make it 2-0.
New Zealand continued their good performance, earning their first penalty corner in the 22nd minute but Cory Bennett’s drag-flick was well-saved by Sreejesh.
India’s moment of reckoning came in the 29th minute when Sumit intercepted a New Zealand defender to drive into the right flank. A deliberate foul by New Zealand skipper Arun Panchia resulted in India winning their second penalty corner.
Though Varun Kumar’s drag-flick didn’t make the post, a deliberate obstruction saw India being awarded a penalty stroke which was converted by Harmanpreet.
India began the third quarter with a penalty corner in the 33rd minute, but again could not make much of it with Harmanpreet’s drag-flick being saved by the first rusher.
The following minutes saw Chinglensana Singh and Gurjant Singh create opportunities to score but were off the mark.
New Zealand kept up their momentum, not letting go of scoring opportunities, when they won two back-to-back penalty corners in the 39th minute.
Though their No.1 drag-flicker Kane Russell’s effort was blocked, Marcus picked up a good rebound to put it past Sreejesh, earning New Zealand a crucial 3-1 lead.
It didn’t help India’s cause when they missed two more opportunities to score through penalty corners in the 41st and 43rd minutes.
Under pressure to make their third consecutive Commonwealth Games final, India fumbled on opportunities to score.
Later, Harmanpreet Singh managed to convert a penalty corner with a powerful flick to the right top corner in the 57th minute.
Desperate for an equaliser, India pulled out their goalkeeper to add an extra outfield player.
Forward Akashdeep Singh got a yellow card in the 57th minute, making the situation worse for the Asian champions.
With time ticking away, the team could not pull off a finish similar to the one against England when they scored two goals in the final two minutes of the match, thus settling for a 2-3 loss.
–IANS
pur/mr
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.
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