Buoyant India maul Bangladesh

Penalty corner exponents Rupinderpal Singh and V.R. Raghunath slammed a hat-trick each as India mauled minnows Bangladesh 9-1 to maintain their unbeaten run ahead of the semi-finals in the ninth Asia Cup hockey tournament here on Wednesday. The Indians, who were through to the semi-finals even before Wednesday’s match, led 5-1 at the breather and pumped in four more goals in the second session to stamp their authority on their lowly opponents. Rupinder (4th, 19th, 27th, 61st minutes) scored four goals, of which three came via penalty corner, while Raghunath (29th, 52nd, 59th) converted short corners to emerge as the joint top-scorer of the tournament with Jang Jong Hyun of South Korea on six goals apiece. Nikkin Thimmaiah (25th) and Malak Singh (47th) were the other goal-getters for India. Bangladesh’s lone goal came from the stick of their skipper Mohammad Mamunur Rahman Chayan (35th minute). By virtue of this win, India finished on top of Pool B with nine points from three games. Defending champions South Korea are second in this pool with six points. India will now face Pool A runners-up and hosts Malaysia in the second semi-final on Friday, while South Korea will be up against Pool A toppers Pakistan. The match between India and Bangladesh started nearly 40 minutes late as the first game of the day between Korea and Oman was delayed due to heavy downpour in the evening. Title holders South Korea mauled debutants Oman 10-0 ahead of the semis. The delay in the start of the day’s opening match forced the organisers to skip the mandatory national anthem ceremony. Incidentally, it was for the second time in the tournament that the organisers faced an embarrassment with the national anthem. Earlier, the organisers failed to play the national anthem of Chinese Taipei ahead of their second Pool A encounter against Japan on August 25 due to a technical fault. Semi-finals: Pakistan vs S. Korea, India vs Malaysia