It will be India vs South Africa in the men's hockey semi-final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) in Birmingham.With South Africa beating New Zealand 4-3 in their last league match and Pakistan losing 0-7 to Australia, South Africa secured a place in the semi-finals.
This will be the second time South Africa will be playing in the last-four stages after the 2002 edition of Manchester.
The Indian men's hockey team advanced to the semi-finals with a comprehensive 4-1 victory against Wales. They topped the standings as England finished second, with an inferior goal difference.
The last time an India vs South Africa match happened was at the FIH Pro League, where India won both matches.
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Live streaming and timing details of India vs South Africa CWG 2022 semi-finals.
The India vs South Africa semi-final will be played on Saturday, August 6, 2022. Sony Pictures Network (SPN) has acquired the broadcast rights for CWG 2022 in India. All matches will be live on Sony Six, Sony Ten 1, Sony Ten 2, Sony Ten 3 and Sony Ten 4 channels.
Live streaming will also be available on the Sony LIV app and website.
The India vs South Africa semi-final will commence on August 6 at 10.30 pm IST.
India's path to final a tad easy.
The Indian men’s hockey team’s route to the final is a tad easier as they get to meet lower-ranked South Africa in the semi-finals.
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South Africa, ranked 13th in the FIH World Rankings, caused a big upset when they defeated New Zealand 4-3 in their last preliminary league match.
World No. 1 Australia will meet England in the other semifinal.
On paper, it would be easier for India to beat South Africa in the semi-finals than New Zealand. Not only are they ranked lower than India, but the Tokyo Olympics bronze medallists beat them in both their matches in the FIH Pro League late last year.
India need to be wary of South Africa, who advanced to the semi-finals after a scintillating game of hockey. Manpreet Singh's men will look to avoid making the same mistakes they made against England, where they almost lost the match after a handy 4-1 lead.
A loss against England would have meant India would have finished second in the group and run into Australia in the semi-finals, which they have now avoided.
Harmanpreet Singh is in good form and will be hoping to continue from where he left off against Wales. Mandeep Singh, Gurjant Singh and Manpreet Singh have been agile, while Akashdeep Singh has been good in the final third as well.
Manpreet Singh's men will hope to ace the India vs South Africa match with an eye on a Commonwealth Games gold medal.