Commonwealth Games, Hockey (men's): England hold India despite trailing
The Indian men's hockey team failed to register a win against England in the Group B match at the 2022 Commonwealth Games (CWG) in Birmingham. Despite leading 4-1 at one stage, the Men in Blue squandered an opportunity to seal the game (4-4). Mandeep Singh scored a brace, while Nick Bandurak and Phil Rope helped England make a comeback. Here are further details.
How did the match pan out?
Lalit Upadhyay drew first blood for India in the first quarter before Mandeep added a second. Mandeep struck again in the second quarter, further extending India's lead. England bounced back in the third quarter, with Liam Ansell netting one. Harmanpreet Singh scored India's fourth goal before Nicholas fired for England. Bandurak scored twice, while Roper equalized in the fourth quarter.
India are second in Group B
India now occupy the second spot in the Group B standings after claiming one win and a draw. The Men in Blue thrashed Ghana 11-0 in the tournament opener. India still have to face Wales and Canada in the group fixtures.
Indian men's hockey team is on a high
The Indian men's hockey team bagged a historic bronze medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics last year. India stunned Germany 5-4 in their bronze medal match after losing to Belgium in the semis. Post that, India took home the bronze medal in the 2022 Asia Cup. India beat Japan 1-0 in the third place game. South Korea won the gold.
India's overall record at CWG
Hockey was first played at CWG in the 1998 edition and became a core sport post that. India finished fourth in 1998, losing against England in the bronze medal encounter. India did not participate in 2002 and went home finishing sixth in 2006. In the 2018 edition of the CWG, India finished fourth. They were beaten 2-1 by England in the bronze medal match.
