In a riveting men's Pool C showdown at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, India's volleyball team eked out a 3-2 win against the formidable South Korea maintaining their undefeated record in the tournament so far. The closely-contested match saw India clinch the game with scores of 25-27, 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 17-15, overcoming the five-time Asian Games champions, Korea.
LIM Manoi from Tamil Nadu emerged as the linchpin during the final set. His unparalleled performance was evident when he single-handedly claimed three successive points, dramatically shifting the momentum of the game in India's favor.
This stellar victory comes on the heels of India's dominant 3-0 triumph over Cambodia at the onset of their campaign in Hangzhou. Riding on the back of these successive victories, the Indian team has now ensured its leadership position in Pool C, propelling them into the subsequent round of the championship.
Drawing a comparison between the two teams in terms of global rankings, India stands at the 73rd spot, whereas the Koreans, who were the runners-up in the last edition of the Asian Games, boast a much higher ranking, being placed 27th in the world.
Adding regional flavor to the Indian squad are blocker Shameemudheen and wing-spiker Erin Varghese, both hailing from Kerala. Another notable name from the southern state is the iconic spiker, Tom Joseph. He extends his expertise to the team not as a player this time but as an assistant to the head coach, Jaideep Sarkar.
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