Air India enter quarters

Air India hammered Nagaland 16-0 to become the first team to enter the quarterfinals of Hockey India’s second senior National Men’s Hockey Championship on Tuesday.

With three wins from as many matches in the four-team Pool E, Air India topped with nine points. Vikram Pillay helped himself to four goals, while Naveen Sangwan and Somanna Pradhan slotted in three apiece. Sandeep Singh and Birendra Lakra followed up with two each while Vikas Pillay and Vinod Pillay completed Air India's 16-goal tally.

Defending champions Haryana have all but secured a quarterfinal berth from Pool A as they scored their third consecutive win by defeating Puducherry. Hosts Karnataka opened their campaign with a fluent win over Mizoram in Pool B, while Tamil Nadu enjoyed a good workout against Kerala, winning 16-1 in Pool G.