BHUBANESWAR: India men's hockey team sealed their berth in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after thrashing Russia in the qualifiers here on Saturday.
In the first leg of the qualifiers on Friday, India had defeated Russia 4-2. In the second leg of the Olympic qualifiers, Russia got off to a brilliant start as it gained a one-goal lead in the first minute.
India rushed off the blocks in the second quarter with three goals, taking the scoreline to 3-1. Nilakanta Sharma then added another goal of the match when the game was in the 47th minute.
India continued their aggressive form in the game and just after one minute, the team took their lead to four with the help of Rupinder Pal Singh's strike
Consolidating India's position further in the match, Rupinder netted another goal, taking the scoreline to 6-1. When the match was in the final minute, India's striker Amit Rohidas scored a goal as the game ended with a scoreline 7-1.
Hence the game concluded with an aggregate score of 11-3, which enabled India to qualify for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.