Indian sports wrap, October 24: India A men remain unbeaten; women display fighting spirit in China

HOCKEY

India A men remain unbeaten; women display fighting spirit in China

India A men’s and women’s hockey teams concluded their respective international exposure tours in China on a high note, showcasing promising performances and gaining valuable experience against competitive local opposition.

The India A men played a four-match series against Gansu Club in Changzhou City, Jiangsu Province, registering emphatic wins in all its fixtures.

The men’s side kicked off the series in dominant fashion with a 7-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Varun Kumar and Selvam Karthi, who converted a penalty corner each, while Uttam Singh, Venkatesh Dhananjay Kenche netted field goals. However, Angad Bir Singh stole the show with a hat-trick.

In the second encounter, India A edged past Gansu 2-1, with Selvam Karthi and Aditya Arjun Lalage scoring a goal each.

Continuing their fine form, the visitors stormed to an 8-0 win in the third match, where Poovanna Chandura Boby converted a penalty corner, while Aditya Arjun Lalage, Maninder Singh, Selvam Karthi, Venkatesh Dhananjay Kenche netted field goals. Captain Sanjay also contributed to the scoreboard, finding success from a penalty corner, while Mohammed Raheel Mouseen added a brace to round off a commanding performance.

The series concluded with another high-scoring affair, as India A defeated Gansu 8-3 in the final game. Rajkumar Pal, Uttam Singh, and Venkatesh Dhananjay Kenche scored a field goal each, while Amandeep Lakra converted a penalty corner. Aditya Arjun Lalage netted two field goals, and captain Sanjay, who has been consistent with his drag flicks throughout the tour, converted two penalty corners to seal a clean sweep for the visitors.

Aditya finished as the top scorer with a total of four goals in as many matches, closely followed by Sanjay, Selvam Karthi, Venkatesh, and Angad, who scored three goals each in the series.

Meanwhile, the India A women played a five-match series against Liaoning at the Liaoning Sports Centre in Dalian. The young squad exhibited strong resolve throughout the tour, finishing with four draws and one loss.

In its opening match, India A held Liaoning to a 1-1 draw, with Albela Rani Toppo finding the back of the net. The second game saw the team go down 1-3, despite a fighting goal from Manisha Chauhan.

The women’s side bounced back with consecutive draws — 1-1 in the third match, where Manisha Chauhan was again on the scoresheet. During the 2-2 draw in the fourth, Baljeet Kaur and Manisha found the back of the net once each.

In the fifth and final contest, both teams produced a thrilling 3-3 draw, with goals from Kajal Sadashiv Atpadkar, Pooja Yadav, and Deepika Soreng ensuring that the team finished the series on a positive note.

-Team Sportstar

BADMINTON

Asia Junior Championships: Lakshya, Diksha, Shaina in quarterfinals

India’s Lakshya Rajesh, Diksha Sudhakar and Shaina Manimuthu stormed into the girls’ quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Under-17 and Under-15 Championships on Friday.

The sixth seed Diksha showed her composure while outclassing Chinese Taipei’s Pin Hsuan Chiang 21-19 21-15 to secure a last-eight berth in the U-17 segment.

Lakshya also entered the U-17 quarterfinals with a strong 21-16 21-11 win over Korea’s Lee Yun Seo. In the U-15 pre-quarterfinals, top seed Manimuthu ousted China’s Li Man Lin 21-17 21-16 with commanding control from start to finish.

In the girls’ doubles, Aditi Deepak Raj and BV Ponnamma Vriddhi held their nerve to edge past Korea’s Lee Yun Seo and Park Yoo Jeong 17-21 21-15 21-17.

In boys’ doubles, Charan Ram Thippana and Hari Krishna Veeramreddy produced a clinical 21-14 21-8 victory against Japan’s Kosuke Shinohara and Hiroto Nakatsuka.

Jagsher Singh Khangurra eased past Malaysia’s Winson Choh 21-12 21-17 in singles.

In the U-15 boys’ singles, Wazir Singh narrowly missed out on a quarterfinal spot after a valiant 19-21 22-20 22-24 loss to seventh seed Revan Adrilleo Saputra of Indonesia.

FOOTBALL

Punjab FC sign Brazilian defender Pablo Renan dos Santos

Punjab FC on Friday drafted in veteran Brazilian centre-back Pablo Renan Dos Santos on a one-year contract ahead of the Super Cup, starting in Goa this weekend.

The 33-year-old joined the club on a free transfer, bringing in a wealth of experience from across global football.

In 2017, the defender moved to Europe, signing with Portuguese Primeira Liga side CS Maritimo, where he made 25 appearances. His strong performances with the club earned him a five-year deal with SC Braga in 2018.

While contracted to Braga, Pablo gained valuable experience through several high-profile loan spells at Rubin Kazan in Russia, Hatayspor in Turkey and Moreirense in Portugal.

Following his time in Turkey and Portugal, Pablo moved to the Middle East, featuring for Al Raed in the Saudi Pro League in the 2022-23 season.

Most recently, he played for Armenian Premier League side FC Noah, where his attacking output was notable, scoring four goals in 13 appearances before joining Punjab FC.

– PTI

Published on Oct 24, 2025