And Anand Venkateswaran is here, to take over for the rest of the day. It's going to be quite an evening, with Sandhyarani, Vijender and Saina all eager to make a mark. That's all from me for the day. You can catch Anand >here
Saravana Sastha K. wonders what happened to India's Sepaktakraw fortunes.
India lost both its men's as well as women's encounters against China earlier today. (Since the match took place in the morning, one would have to scroll down to have a look at the updates).
14:08 Incredible. Ali Ahmed Fazal of Afghanistan fired a 58-over-par on the first day of the golf tournament.
Not yet heard of the performance in the men's hockey? >India blanked Bangladesh 9-0.
Thoughts to liveresponse@thehindu.co.in
13:52 The Indian women's tennis team of Rushmi Chakravarti and Poojashree Venkatesha lost to the Japanese duo of Misaki Doi and Ryoko Fuda.
13:47 The Indian women's hockey team have lost to South Korea 1-0. Meanwhile Pakistan are now leading 12-0 against Hong Kong.
13:43 Hong Kong look shell-shocked as Pakistan scored their 11th goal.
13:40 Pakistan are continuing to attack and are reaping the awards. This time Haseem Khan goes through before his reverse hit finds the bottom corner. 10-0 to Pakistan.
13:35 Muhammad Waqas scores Pakistan's eighth goal. A real poacher's effort after some deft work down the right.
13:27 Hong Kong fashions a rare opening which is smothered by the Pakistan 'keeper. It is still 7-0 between Pakistan and Hong Kong in the men's hockey.
13:19 No surprises as Indonesia's Taufik Hidayat breezes through in his round of 32 encounter against an opponent from Chinese Taipei in the men's singles badminton. Hidayat is one of pre-tournament favourites to win the men's singles gold.
13:10PTI has this report on the men's points race:-
The Indian cyclists continued their below par show and signed off without a medal in the track events of the Asian Games, here today.
In the men’s Points Race which requires the cyclists to cover 120 laps (30 km), India’s Atul Kumar and Rajendra Bishnoi finished 15th and 20th respectively.
Vladimir Tuychiev of Uzbekistan won the gold medal while Kam Po Wong of Hong Kong got the silver. The bronze was won by Iranian cyclist Mehdi Sohrabi.
13:08 Pakistan have completely demolished Hong Kong. They lead the encounter 7-0 and it is just half-time.
12:44 News from Pakistan's hockey match against Hong Kong. Pakistan are up 2-0 after thirteen first-half minutes.
India plays Pakistan on Saturday. Tasty, right?
12:40 A rasping forehand drive from Rastogi takes India into the pre-quarterfinal of the men's doubles.
India are respresented by V. Vardhan and K. Rastogi.
12:35 India are now up a break and leading 4-3 in the second set.
Just joining us now? Want to know the significant events of the day?
>India's Vikram Khade won his heat in the 100 metre Fly but could not make it into the final . >Indian shooters had another torrid day while >Arvind Bhat received a walkover in men's badminton.
The most significant news from an Indian perspective, however, was the performance of the men's hockey team against bangladesh. On the back of a Sandeep Singh hat-trick, India scored nine unanswered goals past Bangladesh
12:20 Action from the tennis arenas as India takes on Hong Kong in the men's doubles. India are up a set and it is 2-2 in the second set.
12:12 Tien Minh records his first ever victory against Kashyap. Tien makes no mistake on his third match point. He wins the match 21-14, 22-20.
12:10 Astonishing. Tien has two match points but Kashyap saves both of them with super smashes. 20-20 in the second set.
12:05 An outstanding smash from Kashyap gives the Indian a slender 17-16 lead in the second set. (At one point of time Kasyap was down 15-9).
12:01 As promised, I do have information regarding Kashyap's match against Tien Minh. Tien took the first set and is leading in the second set 15-14.
12:00 Vikas Krishnan of India beats Saylom Ardee by 8 points to 1 in the men's 60 kg boxing event.
And the hooter goes to signal the end of the second half. India are pleased; rightly they should be as they won the game nine goals to nil.
11:54 This is almost Barcelona-esque from India. Another quick counter sees India's No. 9 putting India ahead by nine goals to nil. Amazing stuff.
11:51 Sandeep is have a field day at the Hockey stadium. Another penalty corner sees Sandeep Drive it in expertly into the Bangladesh net. 8-0 to India.
11:48 Sandeep Singh executes a perfect a drag-flick to put India seven ahead against Bangladesh. That, of course, is Sandeep Singh's hat-trick. Great performance.
Any thoughts on the hockey performances? liveresponse@thehindu.co.in
11:41 I will never know how India have scored only six goals so far. Good defences on the rare occasions Bangladesh have been able to carry the ball, impressive midfield which has done lot of water-carrying but India's attack has been outstanding. They have found all sorts of angles and they are making Bangladesh work overtime. Thirteen minutes remaining in the second half.
11:32 Brilliant penalty corner. Drag-ficker Sandeep drives the ball into the roof of the net. Bangladesh has no answer to this barrage. Six-nil to India.
Some other games to look forward to:-
India are scheduled to take on Chinese Taipei in men's basketball (19:00 IST).
Vikas Krishnan opens up India's boxing campaign today with a bout against Saylom Ardee in the men's 60 kg category. India's Vijender Singh plays later on in the day. (11:45 IST)
11:24 Wow. Another sweeping move from the centre before Shivendra finds the net from an angle from the right. Five and counting. To use one of the worst sports cliches, "This could be a cricket score".
11:22 Ruthless from India. Seconds after coming out for the second half, Rajpal Singh hammers in from close rage. 4-0 to India.
The second-half between India and Bangladesh has started. Meanwhile, I will try to bring you results/updates of the match between Kahyap and Tien Minh.
11:15 This time he does it. Sheer power as he lifts it and keeps it there for the required time.
11:11 Ouch. After successfully completing the first part of the lift in the first two attempts, Chandrakant, before extending his arms to complete the lift, drops the weights. Coming in for his third and final attempt.
11:09 Action from the men's 85 kg weightlifting category. India's Chandrakant Mali fails to lift 171 kg in the C&J category.
11:08 The first-half hooter sounds. India firmly in the driving seat as they lead Bangladesh 3-0. And it could have been a lot more.
11:00 India are putting out the exhibition stuff against Bangladesh. They should have at least scored two more but a combination of Indian profilgacy and the Bangladesh keeper keeping it at 3-0.
P. Kashyap's match against Tien Minh of Vietnam in the singles of the men's badminton is scheduled to begin shortly. (Remember Kashyap is the spearhead of the men's badminton contingent as Chetan Anand pulled out of the event.
10:53 The Bangladesh keeper brings out a good save to keep the score at 2-0. One cant help but get the feeling that India have already won this match. India are making all the dribbles and all the running. Make that 3-0 thanks to Shivendra.
10:45 India have doubled their advantage against Bangladesh in hockey through a rasping drive from Sandeep Singh.
10:43 More gold news. South Korea have taken the gold in both the men's team and the individual event in the 25 metre Standard Pistol event. (Like I said a little earlier, India finished outside the medal placings in both the events).
Another huge match-up from an Indian gold perspective is Sandhyarani Devi against Khadijeh Azadpour of Iran in the women's Sanshou 60 kg final. That match is scheduled to start at about 17:20 IST (again, these are approximate timings).
10:36 News trickling in from cue sports: India's Indira Gowda lost to Vietnam's Thuy Vi Duong 5-4 in the women's 8 ball pool singles.
10:33 No. 14 Tushar has given India an early lead against Bangladesh in the men's hockey. Assisted by Shivendra Singh.
10:32 Malaysia's Azizulhasni Awang win's gold in the men's Keirin.
10:30 Just moments away from the start of the men's hockey match between India and Bangladesh.
Ajay Malhotra says after the false euphoria of the Commonwealth Games - India has been brought back to reality with a thud. Asiad is a real world standard competition and our showing here reflects our dismal standards.
Is that not a tad bit harsh?
10:17 And China have just won a thriller in the cricket stadium. After managing only 93 against Thailand in a women's group match, they manged to win the match by a run. Cannot get much closer than that.
10:13 China are just establishing a bastion in the shooting arena - to be fair to the other Chinese athletes, they have set up bastions in all disciplines. China have just taken the gold in the women's 50 metre Rifles 3 Positions team event.
10:11 Tennis action between India and Japan in the women's doubles. Japan, already up a set, are a point away from a double break in the second for a 3-0 lead.
10:03 (See 09:51) Ramya keeps wondering about what Nithin said..The funny thing, where we are expecting medals, we are not able to get and the sports like Wushu, Regu Gymnastics, the guys are rocking though it is a recent participation.. I think shooters , tennis and badminton players should actually hit them selve and come out of this sluggishness... By the way any update on Viradhawal.. After he won the bronze, i am wondering what happened to the 100 M.
Like I said earlier, Khade, who won his 100 metre heats in a time of 51.25 seconds, missed out on qualifying for the finals by less than .4 of a second.
10:02 The Japanese duo take the third set and the match 21-12. More disappointments for India on the fifth day then. Want to vent your frustrations? liveresponse@thehindu.co.in
09:58 The Japanese duo are leading 14-10 in the third and deciding set against Vishnu and Aparna. The Indian pair will have to find a second wind from somewhere if they are to come back.
Harsh Taneja asks whether Vikram Khade qualified for the 100 metre Freestyle final scheduled to be held today evening. I can confirm that Khade missed the bus by less than .4 of a second. He finished with a time of 51.25 in the heats. The 8th best time in the heats was 50.91. Again just fractions keeping Khade out.
09:52 Uzbekistan's Vladimir Tuychiev wins the gold in the men's points race.
09:51 Nithin K.S. wonders What happened to our Shooters?? They performed really well in Commmonwealth games. Everybody expected few golds from them.
09:50 More like it from Vishnu. He goes a little smash rampage which the Japanese pair find too hot to handle. India have taken an early 4-1 lead in the third set.
09:44 The Japanese have kept the momentum going. All over the Indian pair, they have won the second set 21-7.
You lot must be very silent, right? If not do send in your opinions/feedback to liveresponse@thehindu.co.in
09:36 Oh dear. Stung by the opening set loss, the Japanese duo have started the second set in overdrive. Leading 10-3 in the second set, they look favourites to take the second.
09:30 More Shooting news. The Indian trio of Samaresh Jung, Pemba Tamang and Chandrashekhar Chaudhary finished out side the medal spots in the men's 25 metre Standard Pistol team event. But there is hope because this is not yet confirmed. Will get back to you as and when I have confirmation.
09:29 The Indian duo have taken the first set. This is a round of 32 clash.
09:27 Ikeda/Shiota of Japan in action against Aparna/Vishnu in the mixed doubles event.
09:25 Disappointment for India as China have taken the second set 24-22. They have also taken team event against India as a result of that victory in the second set. Fascinating, gripping battle never the less.
09:21 Exciting. 20-20 in the second set.
09:19 India's turn to fightback. It's now 18-18 in the second set.
09:18 Awesome by the Chinese trio. India, leading by four points in the second set at one stage, are now trailing by three points.
09:15 While I can't confirm this, India seems to have finished ninth in the women's 50 metre Rifles 3 Position team event. I will confirm this once I have more information.
09:10 Back at the Sepaktakraw, India are currently leading China 11-9 in the second set of the third regu.
09:05 The men's points race final is currently going on track cycling. India's Rajender Bishnoi and Atul Kumar are currently in the fray as they are still going strongly in the lead pack.
08:55 Close but not close enough. China currently leading 20-19 in the first set of third regu. Make that 21-19 to China. They have taken the first set.
08:48 There are various shooting finals already up and running. I can tell you that India's Samaresh Jung is in action in the men's 25 metre Standard Pistol.
08:47 Magnificient rally ends when China takes a fourth shot to send the ball over to the Indian court. That Chinese foul helps India to take a slender 14-13 lead in the all important third regu.
08:38 Seven points apiece in the first set of the third regu.
08:36 China's Zhang Lei takes the gold in the men's sprint.
Right. Just to clarify on the regu. Each regu constiutes a team. This is the third team (or the third regu) in action between India and China. It is one regu each in this match-up.
08:30 Want to join in? Just send us your opinion/feedback to liveresponse@thehindu.co.in and you could find your thoughts in this space.
08:28 Massive third regu just round the corner between India and China.
08:27 China's Guo Shuang takes the gold in the women's track sprint.
08:23 I am already hooked to Sepaktakraw. A game of close control and pure skills required and also looks highly technical. One wonders whether football coaches of clubs ask their players to play this game in a training session.
It is just amazing how games like the Sepaktakraw and lawn bowling which was highly popular in the Commonwealth Games, receives absolutely no mainstream coverage per se but still attracts a lot of attention from most of the particiapting nations in international events.
08:20 Rehan Poncha has just had a swim the men's 200 metre individual medley heat. But he has not set his alight. Finishes with a time of 2 minutes and eight seconds.
08:18 Have received information that China have beaten India in the women's Sepaktakraw. Will confirm as and when I get more news.
08:16 Unbelievable. India have taken the second regu through a service ace. Now there's a winner-take-all in the third-and-deciding regu.
08:15 Oh dear. A Chinese fightback. China, down 18-15, have closed in at 18-17 in the second-set. Now make it 18-18.
08:11 Back to the men's regu between India and China. India are leading the second set 16-13.
08:07 The Indian, Jasvant, now leads 5-1. And he has again been struck where it really hurts. Just 17 seconds to go in this bout. Oh, the match has completely turned around. The Indonesian leads 6-5 and has won the bout 6-5.
Jasvant is shocked and does not really know hoe he has lost the game. He had a five-point going into the final round. Great fightback by the Indonesian to grab it at the death and book a place in the quarterfinals at the Indian's expense.
08:04 The Indian is currently leading 5-0 after two rounds.
08:03 Ouch. An indonesian kick finds the Indian below the belt (where it really hurts). Saw a replay of the incident and it does not look funny. Cue for the Indian medical team to come with bags of ice.
08:00 India and Indonesia in action in the men's Taekwondo. Looks to be a very violent sport. The swings and misses with the roundabout kicks.
Lots of people would want to know when Saina Nehwal would be on court today. I got the answer to that question. Take your planners and start scribbling. She will be on court playing Malaysia's Lydia Cheah in a round of 16 encounter at around 16:50 IST (give or take 10 or 20 minutes).
More on the scoring system in the regu. In the third set alone, there is a race to 15 points to determine who wins the set and the regu. Confusing?
07:49 V. Khade finishes first in a men's 100 metre freestyle heat. It's a time of 51.25 seconds. This, remember, is not a seeded heat. And one does expect that time to tumble. But maybe, just maybe, that is enough to take him through.
In the men's game, China took the first regu 2-1. India has just taken the first set of the second regu.
Let me (try to) explain the scoring system. For each and every regu, there is a best of three sets. And a race to 21 to determine the winner of each set.
07:45 The Indian men are doing better. Although the Chinese are leading 1-0, India are leading the second game 18-14.
Simultaneously, the Indian women's Sepaktakraw team is also in action against their Chinese women's team. No surprises that the Chinese team is dominating the Indian team.
07:40 What's on offer in terms of gold medals? There is a whopping 39 gold medals on offer - something tells me China will be the front runners to take most of the 39 on offer.
I had love to see the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, David Villa and Andres Iniesta feature for Barcelona in this sport.
07:35 Don't know anything about Sepaktakraw? Crash course on Sepaktakraw: It's basically volleyball on legs with just three players on either side. China is currently leading 11-10.
07:32 Got some live action immediately on the fifth day. India against China in the men's Sepaktakraw.
What's on store today? Saina Nehwal, the men's and the women's hockey, Vijender Singh and lots more. That's enough to get the adrenaline pumping right?
Hello and welcome to The Hindu's live coverage of the Asian Games.
