Indian men's volleyball team finish sixth at Asian Games 2023

It is the second-best finish for the men's volleyball team after the Asian Games 2014.

The Indian men’s volleyball team secured sixth place at the Asian Games 2023 after defeat to Asia’s seventh-ranked side and arch-rivals Pakistan in the classification match for fifth and sixth place at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023. Pakistan, World No. 51, defeated India in straight sets (25-21, 25-20, 25-23).

Over the past decade, it is the second-best finish of the men's volleyball team after the Asian Games 2014. Although they wanted to win a medal this time. The possibility of a podium finish for the underdogs had been ended after a (0-3) defeat to power.

Despite their defeat today, the Indian men’s volleyball team had a phenomenal outing at the continental games. The Blue Colts successfully defeated superior ranked teams like Asian Games 2018 silver medalists South Korea (3-2) in a pool match and Asian Games 2018 bronze medalists Chinese Taipei (3-0) in a Round of 12 match.

World ranked 51, the Pakistan volleyball team had firm control throughout the encounter and never let India surge ahead. India held onto a maximum of three-point lead and Pakistan sensing danger would bounce back to reduce the deficit and retake the lead. Out of the three sets, the last turned out to be the best for India, where they scored 23 points against Pakistan’s 25.

Despite the best efforts by the Indian star players – Erin Varghese (11 points) and Amit Guliyan (10 points), Pakistan didn’t struggle much to secure the fifth spot. Varghese and Amit Guliyan were the top scorers for India while Murad Khan from the opposition single-handedly scored 20 points, followed by Jehan Murad, who scored 11 points.

The Indian volleyball team’s fantastic performance at the Hangzhou Asian Games 2023 will boost their chances going forward in the future. Despite the loss today, the team showed positivity throughout the tournament against higher-ranked teams and the youngsters performed exceptionally well.