Banned Sardar Singh out of New Zealand semis
Biswajyoti Brahma
GLASGOW: India’s bid to qualify for the final of the men’s hockey received a serious jolt when captain Sardar Singh was banned for one match for a “dangerous slide tackle”.
Sardar, one of the best midfielders in the world, will be missing from India’s semifinal clash against New Zealand on Saturday.
Sardar was punished on Fri day for the tackle in the match against South Africa, which the Indians won 5-2 on Thursday to qualify for the semifinals.
Sardar received a yellow card for his foul against South Africa following which the jury decided to ban him for two matches, as this was the second “dangerous offence” by him. On appeal, the ban was reduced to one match.
The Indian captain had earlier been warned when his stick hit the face of Australia’s Eddie Ockenden during a group match which his side lost 2-4.
With India seeking to win their maid en hockey Commonwealth gold, Sardar’s suspension has come as a major setback for Terry Walsh’s side. India have won just one medal in men’s hockey since it was introduced in 1998 in Kuala Lumpur. Their only final appearance came four years ago in Delhi when they lost to Australia in the summit clash.
WOMEN’S TEAM FINISHES FIFTH
The women finished their campaign on a positive note when they beat Scotland 2-1 to finish fifth. The team, which failed to qualify for the semifinals with two losses in the group stage, did well to get past the hosts in the closely-fought match.
Anupa Barla opened the scoring for India before Nikki Kidd pulled one back for Scotland two minutes later. India got the winner through Poonam Rani in the 57th minute.