Right then, this is me signing off. Come back tomorrow at 8.30 am as I'll take you through the first half of live action from the Commonwealth Games 2010. Goodbye!
The highlight of the day has to be the India-Pakistan hockey match which India won 7-4. The excitement levels seen in the match was unmatched.
Ok, that brings us to the end of the day. Fantastic entertainment on a day where India retains its second spot in the standings. With 29 gold, the hosts are three gold ahead of third placed England.
22:28: A cool, collected Paramjeet wins it 7-4
22:28: The Indian leads 5-4 with 50 seconds to go in the final round.
End of the second round, Paramjeet up 4-3.
22:24: Paramjeet leads 4-3 now. An upper cut gives him the lead.
22:20: Paramjeet down 0-2 at the end of the first round
22:18: Man, these guys are massive!They pack a punch, if you get what I did there.
22:16: Super heavyweight boxing action. Paramjeet Samota in the ring. Facing Alex Mukhin of Australia.
21:58: Back to lawn bowling. India lose the second set to England.
21:44: Two silver and two bronze is India's best ever show in CWG athletics. It could have well been gold for Prajusha Maliakkal in high jump, who led the field until Alice Falaiya pipped her to the top by clearing 6.50m in her last jump.
21:43: Did we miss this? Vikas Gowda won silver in the men’s discus throw
21:38: We might have missed this, but Sania Mirza-Rushmi Chakravarthi won bronze in the women's doubles, beating Nirupama Sanjeev-Pooja Venkatesh.
21:35: Lawn bowling. Indian women taking on England. England won the first set and ead 6-2 in the second set.
21:31: India’s Prajusha Maliakkal takes silver in the long jump. Quite a feat, considering the country's poor record in track and field.
21:26: Wales wins its first gold in this CWG with Dai Greene winning the 400m hurdles. Defending champion Louis Van Zyl from South Africa finished second.
21:24: Athletics please? Ok, here you go. England’s Leon Baptiste wins the men’s 200m title with a time of 20.45 seconds. Jamaica’s Lansford Spence came in second and Wales’ Christian Malcolm finished third.
21:20: Medals presented to the men's singles winners in tennis. Somdev sports a huge grin as the gold medal is worn around his neck. He joins his hands in a namaste pose to the crowd. The crowd lap it up.
21:18: So India maintain a two gold advantage at second spot.
21:16: Medals table as of 20:45 -
Read as Gold, Silver, Bronze, Total
Australia 61 35 36 132
India 28 22 22 72
England 26 45 30 101
Canada 22 12 25 59
South Africa 9 11 9 29
Nigeria 8 7 11 26
21:10: Steven snatches a last gasp win. 11-10 and Manpreet looks distraught. Must be said that Manpreet gave away 4 points through penalty. Lots of style from Manpreet, but the more orthodox Steven gets a point in the dying seconds of the final round to clinch victory.
21:07: Scores tied at 9-9
21:03: Manpreet leads 8-6 at the end of the second round. Close fight, with both boxers not afraid to throw heavy punches regularly. Manpreet will do well not to do the showboating bit, ala Ali, just concentrate on the job on hand
21:01: Manpreet Singh leads 6-5 in the second round.
21:01: Score tied at 3 apiece at the end of the first round.
20:57: Manpreet Singh in a 91 kg boxing match. He is up against Steven Donnelly of Northern Ireland.
20:57: 29th gold for India. An articulate Somdev tells the press that he it a great honour for him to represent the country and that this medal means a lot to him.
A straight-faced Somdev hits a few balls into the cheering crowd. Looks like he has reined in his emotions quickly after collapsing onto the ground in disbelief after winning the match.
20:49: Somdev wins the match, wins gold in men's tennis! 6-4, 6-2 victory.
20:40: Somdev well on his way to winning gold in the men's tennis event. He leads Greg Jones 5-1 in the second set of the final after winning the first set 6-4.
20:38: After the hockey adrenaline rush, time for some (relatively) relaxed tennis. Somdev on court.
The spectators have seen something special. Hockey, you beauty!
20:28: The hooter blows and that's the end of a fantastic game! India win 7-4. India are through to the semifinals. We just witnessed a classic! Coach Brasa, under pressure for not delivering expected results, gets a new lease of life. But forget about all that, let us concentrate on this game. Mind blowing action! 11 goals! 11 goals! I rest my case. Best ever.
20:25: Pakistan score a classy goal. Too little too late. Still three goals down with 2 minutes left.
3 minutes to go now
20:22: India still going all out in attack. Apparently seven isn't enough to give the fans a heart attack.
20:21: Seven minutes to go
What on earth is going on here? Ten goals in the match! That's right, I said ten! End to end stuff. Hockey at its very best.
20:17: Shivendra Singh score India's seventh. This is absolute madness!!! Shivendra scores with a scorcher from a tight angle! 7-3 now. I need a break, this is non-stop in-your-face action here!
20:15: Pakistan score! 6-3 now
20:13: Ferocious penalty corner from India is blocked by the Pakistan goalkeeper.
20:10: Shivendra angles the ball towards goal but misses narrowly
20:08: 19 minutes to go in the match
India lead 6-2. Game over? Not yet, we could still see a Pakistan comeback. Stranger things have happened in hockey, especially Indian hockey.
20:02: Dharamvir makes it six!! Halappa makes a run down the right an passes to Dharamvir, who holds the ball, then calmly puts it into the net.
25 minutes to go
5-2 to India. Will the excitement never end?
20:00: Pakistan miss the goal by an inch. Penalty corner wasted.
19.59: Second half begins. India scores fifth goal - whopee!
19:46: Mesmerising first half comes to an end. India-Pakistan does not disappoint. 4-2 to India, but Pakistan are still very much in it. What a game this has been so far, the sell out crowd has seen something special. And we still have another half to go!
19:43: Sandeep Singh cannot convert. He has scored two from eight penalty corner attempts. Not a good enough conversion rate. Will India pay? Find out in a bit as the first half whistle goes.
19:41: Seconds to go for the first half break, but one final chance for India. Penalty corner coming up, could be the last piece if action for the half.
19:39: Sarvanjit Singh hits a reverse flick but cannot find the target. Should have done better.
19:38: This is the beauty of hockey. Four goals is not enough to ensure victory. Anything's possible.
Two minutes to go for the interval.
19:34: Pakistan pull one back!! Mohammad Rizwan brings Pakistan to 4-2!! This game has more drama than a soap. Rizwan gets his stick to a short pass and beats keeper Chetri. Can Pakistan script the most unbelievable comeback?
19:32: Ok in all the excitement, I forgot to tell you the significance of this game in terms of team standings. So both India and Pakistan are on 6 points in their group. Whoever wins this game enters the semifinals . Simple as that.
Seven minutes to go in the half. Pakistan desperate to find a way back.
19:28: Muhammad Imran scored for Paksitan from a penalty stroke. 4-1 now! A penalty stroke was awarded after a defender used his body near the goal to stop a penalty corner.
19:28: 10 minutes to go in the half
19:23: Sarvanjit Singh makes it four!!!A weak penalty corner from Sandeep is blocked by a defender, but the ball ricochets to Sarvanjit Singh who slots it home. Goalmouth melee sees Sarvanjit Singh coming to the party. India 4-0 up!!
19:20: Shivendra Singh scores India's third!!!! A pin point pass from Sandeep Singh near the half line finds Shivendra Singh near goal. Shivendra deflects the ball into the goal, ball goes between the keeper's legs. A goal of beauty!
19:18: Tushar Khandkar almost makes it 3-0 to India. He is unable to latch on to a long ball. He was unmarked with only the goalkeeper to beat, just needed a small deflection from his stick. If only he could reach the ball.
19:17: Brilliant instinct save from goalkeeper Bharat Chetri! Chetri sticks his left hand out and blocks a penalty corner from Rehan Butt. That was a sure goal if not for Chetri's reflexes coming to the fore.
19:13: 2-0 to India! Sandeep Singh scores again. Sandeep converts for the second time from a penalty corner! I am out of breath here. Can an India-Pakistan clash get any better? Skill, drama, full house.
19:11: It is raining penalty corners here. The fifth penalty corner comes up after the defender gets knocked on the shin while rushing out to block a penalty corner.
19:10: A Pakistani defender raises his stick too high and India are awarded their third penalty corner. But the corner is not converted, Sandeep Singh's shot is wide.
19:08: The excitement levels are sky high here. India look the better team so far. 27 minutes to go in the first.
19:07: Second penalty corner is not as good. Sandeep Singh fires wide.
19:05: Frantic start to the game. Packed crowd bring the house down after the first goal. Furious penalty corner from Sandeep Singh, slams into the top corner of the goal.
19:04: India score from their first penalty corner! Penalty corner specialist Sandeep Singh!
19:02: Goalless with 32 minutes to play in the first half.
19:01: And now for the showpiece event of the day. India face Pakistan in men's hockey!
19:00: Manoj Kumar wins it comfortably. He is through to the semifinals of the 64kg class.
18:58: Manoj Kumar throws an upper cut but it catches his opponent below the belt. He is warned by the ref.
18:57: Manoj Kumar is lightning quick on his feet and evades all punches thrown with ease.
18:55: Woohoo, time for boxing! Manoj Kumar lands a flurry of body shots on his Kenyan foe and leads 5-1 at the end of the second round.
18:52: Arjan Bhullar wins it! He pins Joginder and it is all over in a heartbeat. Absolute drama here as Bhullar takes a dig at the partisan crowd by furiously thumping his chest. He blows a kiss to the crowd. Gold for Bhullar. Joginder is unable to stand up as the medical staff rush to his aid.
18:48: Arjan Bhullar of Canada and Joginder Kumar battle it out for gold. Arjan takes the first round. This is the 120kg category.
18:46: More wrestling now. Joginder Kumar in action.
18:23: Medals ceremony commences for the 84kg wrestling we just witnessed.
18:17: Mohammad Inam pips Anuj Kumar to win gold. Heartbreak for the Indian fans in the crowd, stunned silence. The third and final round did it for Inam, who scored a point in the dying moments. Pakistan win gold amidst joyous scenes in their camp. Inam cannot hide his excitement, he is jumpimg up and down like a schoolboy. Excellent fight, well done Inam.
18:14: Inam wins the second round. 1-1. Some high quality wrestling here, though both grapplers preferring to play the waiting game. Not many attacking moves.
18:12: Massive crowd watching this fight. Adds to the excitement.
18:10: Anuj Kumar wins the first round against Mohammad Inam
18:07: India-Pakistan clash in wrestling. Anuj Kumar in action
18:00: Tennis again. Rushmi-Sania win the first set and lead 2-1 in the second.
17:55: Proud moment for India as the national anthem being tuned at the medal ceremony. Sushil Kumar is the Asian, World champion and now the Commonwealth Games champion.
17:45: India still holds on to the second place with Sushil Kumar's victory in wrestling (66 kg). Now has 28 gold medals in its kitty.
17:43: Sushil Kumar proved too hot for his South African opponent Heinrich Barnes. Another gold for India. This is wrestling (66 kg category)
17:41: Sushil Kumar wins the first game by 3-0 against Heinrich Barnes of South Africa
17:38: Another wrestling match. India's Sushil Kumar leads 2-0 against his South African opponent
17:35: Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarty poised to take the first set in this bronze medal match.
17:30: Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravarty leads the first set 4-3.
17:23: India still holds on to second place but England is breathing down its neck. Two gold is all that seperates them. Fight to the finish.
17:19: Here is the latest medals tally update (as of 5 p.m.) -
Read as gold, silver, bronze, total
Australia: 56, 32, 34, 122
India: 27, 18, 20, 65
England: 25, 45, 29, 99
Canada: 18, 12, 22, 52
South Africa: 9, 9, 9, 27
Nigeria: 7, 6, 9, 22
17:18: Sania-Rushmi lead 2-0 in the first set.
17:17: The Indian women are competing for the doubles bronze.
17:12: Women's tennis doubles now. Nirupama Sanjeev and Pooja Venkatesh take on Sania Mirza and Rushmi Chakravorthy.
17:06: CWG mascot Shera dances as Anil Kumar finishes the match in no time. All over. He pins Pilling in what seemed like 10 seconds. I will confirm the time taken for the victory soon, seemed incredibly quick. Bronze for Anil Kumar in the 55kg. Note that this was a repechage round.
17:04: Wrestling, another crowd favourite. Anil Kumar in a bronze medal match. He takes on Craig Pilling from Wales.
17:01: Taking a break from the CWG for a second to tell you that Sachin Tendulkar has just completed 14,000 runs in Test cricket. During the second Test against Australia of course. Another first. Are you sure it wasn't Sachin who was first to land on the moon? No record/feat involving Sachin surprises us anymore.
Tamil Nadu and India offspinner R. Ashwin was also from my school. With a name like that, he must go far.
16:51: Proud to say that Sharath Kamal and I studied in the same school. I remember, during the morning assembly, we would have a section when the school would announce/felicitate winners in various inter-school or national events. Whenever any table tennis event was announced, we just knew Sharath Kamal would be called up on stage as the winner. He would win school/state/national events almost every day. "Oh boy. Sharath Kamal wins again. What a surprise," was the response from us after a while. Nicely done, Sharath.
16:49: People, be sure to catch some exciting table tennis action tomorrow. Sharath Kamal will spearhead the Indian challenge in the men's individual event. He is the defending CWG champion.
16:46: So an archery double for India after Deepika won the women's recurve. Remember, Rahul Banerjee's sister Dola won bronze.
16:33: Indian national anthem is played and the camera pans to the Indian flag. Fist pump from an emotional Rahul Banerjee. Group photo time, the three winners pose for the cameras.
16:32: Medals Ceremony for the men's recurve. Jayanta Talukdar is presented bronze. He waves to an adoring crowd.
16:29: Jayanta Talukdar wins bronze in the same event. You might already know that.
16:29: Crowd support was incredible. Every perfect 10, and even a 9 from Banerjee was cheered at high volume. Similar noise is reserved for when Jason Lyon gets a low 8.
16:21: Rahul Banerjee wins a thriller. From 1-5 down, Banerjee gives it his all to come out on top. He beats Jason Lyon of Canada to win gold in the archery men's recurve.
16:19: And we're all square at 5-5. Banerjee riding on crowd support. The crowd should refrain from making noise when the archer is taking aim, quite distracting.
16:17: Banerjee claws back, still down 3-5.
16:13: Banerjee in trouble here. He is down five sets to one.
Don't you think Rahul Banerjee looks like cricketer Rohit Sharma? Google images to your rescue.
16:09: Archery. Banerjee down 1-3 against his foe from Canada.
16:04: Dilbag wins the quarterfinal of the 69kg boxing against Botswana's Moabi Mothiba.
16:02: Dilbag Singh leading 10-3 in the third round. This is a quarterfinal, so a win here will assure a medal for Dilbag.
15:59: Dilbag Singh, India's Floyd Mayweather. Too far? Yes.
15:58: Boxing, my favourite sport of the Games. Dilbag Singh in action against a boxer from Botswana. Dilbag leads 7-1 in the second round.
15:55: Weightlifting - Samoa’s Ele Opeloge wins the women’s +75kg. She seems quite popular with the crowd.
15:51: And we have our first gaffe. Sandhu did not miss his first shot. Both Villa and Sandhu made their first shot, Villa missed his second and Sandhu then hit the target again. Bronze for Sandhu, embarrassment for me.
15:50: Forgot to mention that Aaron Heading of England won gold in the event. After he makes his final shot, he breaks down in tears. Just for a bit, he composes himself and is given a pat on the back from his competitors.
15:49: Sandhu being congratulated by friends, family and fellow shooters in the stands. Smiles all round.
15:48: Manavjit Singh Sandhu wins bronze, beating Villa in the tie-shootout.
15:46: Time for the bronze shootout. Sandhu misses the target on his first attempt.
15:43: A brief highlights package is shown with Run-DMC's monster hit 'Its like that' as the background music. Old school hip-hop is the real deal, glad the broadcasters realise this.
15:42: M.S. Sandhu in a tie-shootout with Adam Vella (Australia) for bronze in the trap event.
Actually the 'veteran' term could be used for both Mansher Singh and Sandhu.
15:35: Mansher Singh out of contention in sixth place.
15:31: Trap event in shotting. Veteran M.S. Sandhu in a bit of strife. He is currently in fourth position.
15:29: Rahul Banerjee wins the first semifinal in archery. He is through to the final. Continuing the trend, I bring luck to India once again.
15.27: Kick off with some archery. Australia taking on India.
Over to Ashwin Achal, accepted with glee. After a bit of a break, I'm back on live update action. Couldn't be happier.
