Tags:
Journalism of Courage
After narrowly missing the semi-final berth, the Indians are on their way to finishing fifth in the Asian Volleyball Championship at Tianjin. Getting over that traumatic five-set loss to Iran, which lost them a place in the last four, the Indians recorded a 27-25, 25-21, 25-17 win over Khazakistan here today. The Indians next play Pakistan and a straight set win could see them match their best-ever showing.
A day before that high pressure game against arch-rivals Pakistan, the team seemed all set for the final assault. ‘‘Playing Pakistan is always special. We know we have to beat them 3-0 to finish 5th, but it is task we can achieve,’’ said the Indian skipper Amir Singh speaking to The Indian Express.
Though the Indians might be confident but the outing against Pakistan wouldn’t be easy, considering their form so far in the tournament. Pakistan today scored a 3-1 win over Japan, the team the Indians lost to. Besides earlier in the tournament they gave strong teams like Australia a tough time.
Other than Pakistan’s triumph against Japan, the other shock result of the day was South Korea’s 3-0 thrashing of Iran. The result is interesting when one considers the fact that the Indians beat South Korea but lost to Iran.
So in a tournament so close it is difficult to predict the outcome of the India-Pakistan game. Other than the head-to-head contest on the court, there is a interesting showdown between the coaches. Both the teams have a Bulgarian coach. India’s Hristo Ilie vs Pakistan’s Ivan Stefano.
