In the end, the soft touch of India wasn’t enough to stop the power and experience of Iran. As expected, Iran defeated India 2-0 and entered the men’s final of the AVC Cup Asian Central Zone volleyball championship here on Saturday.
The way Prahlad Prahlad Dhawaskar and Krishna Chaithanya played against the taller, stronger pair of Saber Hoshmand and Abbas Pourasgari was admirable, though. The Indians used the court cleverly, controlled net better and came up with deft drops regularly to put the rival team under pressure.
In Sunday’s final, Iran will meet Kazakhstan, who defeated Sri Lanka 2-0 in the other semi-final.
Indian women lose to Lanka in semis
Sri Lanka, however, entered the women’s final, beating India 2-1. In the final, the Lankan ladies will take on the overwhelming favourites Kazakhstan, who made short work of Nepal 2-0.
The results (semi-finals)
Men: Iran bt India 2-0 (Rahman Roufi & Bahman Salemi bt Mohan Poothathan & Balamani Sankar 21-6, 25-5; Saber Hoshmand & Abbas Pourasgari bt Prahlad Dhawaskar & Krishna Chaithanya 21-15, 21-18).
Kazakhstan bt Sri Lanka 2-0 (Alexey Kuloshov & Alexandr Dyachenko bt Asanka Kumara & Pubudu Ekanayake 21-8, 19-21, 15-9; Sergey Bogatu & Dmitry Yakovlev bt Sashimal Yapa & Sujeewa Chinthaka 21-19, 22-14).
Women: Kazakhstan bt Nepal 2-0 (Tatyana Mashkova & Bakhtygul Samalikova bt Binita Budhatoki & Reshma Bhandari 21-10, 21-8; Yekaterina Lassyuta & Irina Tsimbalova bt Saraswoti Choudhary & Nebika Choudhary 21-8, 21-8).
Sri Lanka bt India 2-1 (Geethika Lalani & Bogahalanda Gnanasagari 21-9, 21-15; Nirosha Lakmini & Asha Siriwardana lost to K.P. Athira & V.A. Aswathi 20-22, 18-21; Geethika Lalani & Bogahalanda Gnanasagari bt K.P. Athira & K.A. Shahana 21-4, 21-10).
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