ASIA U23 VOLLEYBALL: India beat Australia to set up semi-final date with Pakistan

India set-up a semi-final date with Pakistan after defeating Australia 3-1 in the last eight encounter of the Asian Men's U-23 Volleyball Championships here on Friday. The team overcame a jittery start to win three back-to-back sets and secure a place in the top four on the back of good performances by Amit Gulia and setter Muthusamy winning 16-25 25-19 25-21 27-25.

With Pakistan trouncing Kazakhstan, the neighbours are set for a mouth-watering semi-final contest. Coach Pritam Singh Chauhan expressed his delight on the occasion but also cautioned against complacency.

"It's a fantastic achievement by the boys. We didn't begin in the brightest of fashion, but I had no doubts even at that point that we could pull it off. It's a great feeling to have defeated a strong Australian side with a set left in a knockout game," Chauhan. "The confidence levels of the boys is sky-high at the moment. But I would like them to focus on the big match tomorrow. With so little time left between the knockout games, there is no time to lose. So, the celebrations can wait. It’s a good achievement but we don't want to stop here."

Earlier in the day, Chinese Taipei and Japan won their respective quarter-final fixtures against China and Sri Lanka to book a semi-final clash on Saturday.