Commonwealth Games 2022 Day 8 India Highlights: Gold for Bajrang, Sakshi and Deepak in Wrestling, Australia beat India 3-0 in Hockey SF

It was heartbreak for the Indian women's hockey team in the semi-finals at Birmingham as they lost by 3-0 against Australia in a penalty shootout after the match ended with both the team levelled at 1-1 in regulation time. However, Indian captain Savita Punia was denied a save off the first shot by Australian Rosie Malone as the umpire informed that the clock did not start with Indian striker Lalremsiami ready to take India's first shot. Malone scored in a re-take to hand a 1-0 lead before Lalremsiami missed her shot. Kaitlin Nobbs then scored for Australia off the second shot before Jocelyn Bartram made a save off Neha Goel. Amy Lawton then scored the third goal for Australia and with India requiring to convert to have a chance, Navneet Kaur missed the chance to score off the third shot to hand Australia the win.

In regulation time, Rebecca Greiner scored for Australia in the tenth minute before Vandana Katariya scored the equaliser in the 49th minute of the match.

Australia 3-0 India in the shootout and the journey for Women in blue comes to an end at the CWG. Australia to play England in the final. India will feel robbed here and rightly so. 

Savita Punia's initial save in the shootout isn't counted because the clock wasn't started. Australia score from the retake.

PEEP, PEEP, PEEEEEEEEP!

What a semifinal we've had here. And we are not done yet. India against Australia at a multi sports event doesn't disappoint again. Australia 1-1 India. Shootout time!

Three saves in a row from Savita Punia and co. off the PC, WE CAN BARELY BREATH WATCHING THIS MATCH!!

Australia win a PC with just a minute left in this quarter.

Five minutes left in this one, it's still 1-1. THIS MATCH!

INDIA SCORE!

Sushila Chanu serves the ball in for Vandana Katariya who deflects the ball in to equalise. Her fourth goal at these Games and what an important one. Australia 1-1 India.

Indian squash veterans, Dipika Pallikal and Saurav Ghosal in action now against Australia’s Rachael Grinham and Alexander Zac in the Mixed Doubles quarterfinals. 

The buzzer rings for the third quarter. Still 1-0, Australia. THIS GAME IS FAR FROM OVER!

The all important fourth quarter coming up.

The Indian captain has been the busier of the two goalkeepers today, and just as we post this, she has made another couple saves from PC.

Screengrab: CWG website

SAVE-ITa Punia!

A Keeper!

Why don't we use these puns more often!? WHY?

The Indian captain with yet another big save to keep the scoreline at 1-0. India still very much in it. 

Third quarter underway in this Women's Hockey semifinal between India and Australia. The Hockeyroos lead 1-0. India have been putting the pressure on Australia but need to score a goal as soon as possible to have a chance at winning this.

End of the second quarter. Australia 1-0 India. India have been knocking in the opposition half but they haven't quite pushed the knob for the door to open.

We lead at the main break thanks to Greiner's superb goal.

A huge 30 minutes coming up.

?? 1-0 ??#AUSvIND #B2022 @CommGamesAUS pic.twitter.com/awX0MvLuyv

— Hockeyroos (@Hockeyroos) August 5, 2022

India miss from another penalty corner, their fourth so far in the match. Will these chances hurt them in the end? The scoreboard still reads 1-0 in the favor of Australia.

Sanil Shetty rounds up the Table Tennis action for India on day 8 at the CWG. A 2-4 win for the Indian in the Men's Singles Round of 16.

Screengrab: CWG website

Hima Das fails to qualify for women's 200m final. She finishes third in semi-final 2 with a timing of 23.42 seconds 

Australia open the scoring with a goal against the India. Rebecca Grenier with the strike in te 10th minute. Was a long time coming for Australia.

It is time for the big one!

India take on Australia in the Women's Hockey semifinal. Can the Indians put on a repeat show of their magnificent Olympics win against the Hockeyroos? Action awaits at the University of Birmingham venue.

A SIXTH MEDAL FOR INDIA IN WRESTLING!

Mohit Grewal seals another bronze for India as he beats Jamaica's Aaron Johnson in the men's 125kg freestyle match.

India's Mohit Grewal in action for Men's freestyle 125kg bronze medal match against Jamaica's Aaron Johnson.

The Men's freestyle 86kg podium finishers ft. India's Deepak Punia with the gold!

Screengrab: Sony Liv

Defending champion Manika Batra in action in the Women's Singles quarterfinal against Jian Zeng from Singapore.

India's Sreeja Akula beats Canada's Mo Zhang 4-3 in the Women's Singles quarterfinals!

9-11, 11-4, 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 to decide the match. 

Screengrab: CWG website 

#CommonwealthGames #Wrestling

???? ?????, ???????? ??????, ?????, ????????!

Live: https://t.co/wzCsfVmE9y

Screengrab: Sony Liv pic.twitter.com/TnnVoNHjEY

— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) August 5, 2022

Divya Kakran finishes Women's 68kg Bronze medal bout inside 30 seconds. A win by pinfall and a bronze for the 23-year-old.

GOLD FOR DEEPAK PUNIA! 

Beats Muhammad Inam 3-0 in the Men's 86kg freestyle final. The 23-year-old dominated his Pakistan counterpart in the final.

Punia leads 2-0 against Inam after the first round in the gold medal match.

#CommonwealthGames #wrestling

It's India against Pakistan in the Men's 86kg freestyle final.
India's Deepak Punia against Pakistan's Muhammad Inam.

Live: https://t.co/wzCsfVmE9y

Screengrab: Sony Liv pic.twitter.com/Tx8LZUa1do

— Express Sports (@IExpressSports) August 5, 2022

India's Deepak Punia to be in action against Pakistan's Muhammad Inam in Men's 86kg freestyle gold medal match!

THE SPECIAL PODIUM SNAP!

Screengrab: Sony Liv

One champ approves another!

You are just amazing @SakshiMalik. Congratulations ?

— M C Mary Kom OLY (@MangteC) August 5, 2022

WOW!

Sakshi, who was trailing 0-4 takes one move to turn the contest around, delivers a takedown and takes a win by fall!

GOLD FOR SAKSHI, GOLD FOR INDIA!

Screengrab: Sony Liv

First round goes to Canada's Ana Gonzalez who leads 0-4 against Sakshi Malik in the Women's 62kg freestyle final.

Sakshi Malik in action in the Women's 62kg freestyle final.

2018 Gold Coast: Gold

2022 Birmingham: Gold

It was expected of him and under the weight of all those expectations, India's Bajrang Punia defended his men's 65kg freestyle title at the Commonwealth Games.

Screengrab: Sony Liv

A first Commonwealth Games medal for 21-year-old Anshu Malik.

Screengrab: Sony Liv

GOLD FOR BAJRANG PUNIA!

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and the Gold Coast gold medallist wins the Men's 65kg freestyle final 2-9 against Canada's Lachlan McNeil, almost without giving a point away at these Games.

Screengrab: Sony Liv

Bajrang Punia in action at the Men's 65kg freestyle gold medal match against Canada's Lachlan McNeil.

A review in the end means the final score is 3-7 in favor of Nigeria's Odunayo Folasade Adekuoroye. 

Silver for Anshu Malik!

That was a tough bout against the 2014 and 2018 CWG champion, who seals a third consecutive gold at the Games with a 4-6 win in the women's 57kg freestyle final. Tears for the 21-year-old Indian featuring at her first Games.

Screengrab: Sony Liv

Anshu Malik trailes 0-4 in the women's freestyle 57kg final after the first three minutes.

What a brilliant match! What a brilliant finish! Went right into the final game but the Indians have done it. Sreeja/Sharath are through to the Mixed Doubles semifinals after a 11-7, 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-9 win. 

Screengrab: CWG website

Sharath and Sreeja take on England's Pitchford and Tin-Tin in the decider while Sathiyan and Manika's match against Malaysia also goes to the fifth set.

Sathiyan and Manika lose a close first game 12-10, but came back well to win the next one 11-9. 

If there’s one thing that Sreeshankar Murali has proved by winning a historic silver at the CWG, is that nice guys don’t finish last. The 23-year-old from Palakkad district of Kerala became the only the second male long jumper from the country to win a CWG medal with a best effort of 8.08m in Birmingham on Thursday. (READ)

In what was his finest hour on the international stage, long jumper Murali Sreeshankar dealt only in fine margins. Including at the end of his celebratory lap when it was time to neatly fold back the tricolour he had draped around his shoulders. His fingers aligned the breadth-wise edges perfectly and the tilted chin locked the lengthwise midpoint as the flag was returned to its storage dimensions, waiting for the next time it would be brought out to signal yet another success. (READ)

After his record-breaking overall lift of 405 kg in the 109 kg-plus category of the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Pakistan’s Muhammad Nooh Dastgir Butt, 25, looked around for the bronze medallist, India’s Gurdeep Singh. This wasn’t the winner of Pakistan’s first gold at these Games being gracious for the camera, but friends wanting to share their moment of glory. (READ)

Lawn Bowls: India advance to Semis of Men's Fours with 14-10 win over Canada 

Here is the list of who Indian wrestlers will face to secure medals

Anshu Malik vs Nigeria's Odunayo Adekuoroye for gold in women's 57kg.

Bajrang Punia vs Canada's Lachlan McNeil for gold in men's 65kg.

Sakshi Malik vs Canada's Ana Godinez Gonzalez for gold in women's 62kg. 

Deepak Punia vs Inam Butt for gold in men's 86kg.

Divya Kakran vs Tonga's Tiger Lily Cocker Lemalier for bronze in women's 68kg  

Mohit Grewal vs Aaron Johnson of Jamaica for bronze in men's 125kg.

Bouts will start after 9.30 PM IST.

2019 World junior silver medallist Deepak Punia also assures India of atleast a silver medal with a 3-1 win over Canada's Alexandar Moore in the men's freestyle 86 kg semifinal in Birmingham.

Sakshi Malik into the finals, another win on technical superiority for Indian wrestlers who are taking over the wrestling mats on the day.

The Rio Olympics bronze medallist bests Cameroon's Berthe Emilienne Etane Ngolle.

Punia took one minute and 31 seconds to score the win over Ramm!

Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Bajrang Punia assures India of atleast a silver medal with a 10-0 win by technical superiority over England's George Ramm in the men's freestyle 65 kg semifinal at Birmingham.

Anshu Malik into the FINAL!

Haryana wrestler and world championship silver medallist scored a 10-0 win in one minute and ten seconds over Nethmi Poruthotage of Sri Lanka in the women's 57 kg semifinal to assure herself of at least a silver medal in Birmingham.

DEEPAK PUNIA STORMS INTO THE SEMIS!

A second straight win on techincal superiority to book his place in the semis. The 23-year-old took less than two minutes to wrap up his bout and is looking determined to clinch gold in men's 86kg freestyle at the CWG.

Screengrab: CWG website