Cheered on by an enthusiastic and noisy crowd on Tuesday, India’s young spikers made sure their dream run at the U-21 world junior volleyball championships would continue as they defeated Russia 3-2 to move closer to a coveted place in the semi-finals. Eight consecutive points by middle-blocker Manidurai Naveen Raja Jacob in the tie-breaker set against their second-ranked opponents was what gave India the edge in a keenly contested encounter.

A huge number of spectators cheered Cuba on to victory against Iran in an earlier match on Tuesday, but as it turned out, all they were doing was readying their voices for the home team’s arrival in the spotlight later in the day. A record number of 2150 people more than made their presence felt and rocked the Badminton Hall while witnessing India’s thrilling victory.

‘We are fearless now’

In a see-saw battle which was decided by a tie-breaker, MH Kumaran, coach of the Indian team, felt nothing separated the two teams in the four sets and it was India’s blocking in the final set that won them the game. “We had expected strong spiking from the Russian team and we managed to counter it well when it mattered. This win will give us a great morale-boost. We are fearless now and are ready to take on any team,” said the overwhelmed coach. He added that his team also had the mental capability to play a five-setter, which is a high possibility in Wednesday’s match against Argentina.

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