Olympic bronze medallist India eked out a hard-fought 3-2 win over South Africa to qualify for the men's hockey final of the Commonwealth Games here on Saturday.
Abhishek (20th minute), Mandeep Singh (28th) and Jugraj Singh (58th) scored for India, while South Africa's goals came from the sticks of Ryan Julius (33rd) and Mustapha Cassiem (59th).
Going by form and rankings, it was expected to be a cakewalk for India but it didn't turn out that way, courtesy South Africa custodian Gowan Jones, who dished out a superlative performance under the bar. Had it not been for Jones' brilliant display, the score-line could have been much bigger in favour of the Indians.
