India beat China, New Zealand

Nay Pyi Taw: India started their campaign in the Asian Mens U-23 Volleyball Championship on a strong note by registering back-to-back wins over China and New Zealand here on Sunday. While New Zealand were defeated 3-0 with relative ease, China put up a strong fight as the hard-fought contest lasted five sets.Against China, India captain Amit Gulia led the way with a total of 22 points in the game but it was Kerala’s Shon John who stole the show with 23 points.The first set didn’t go India’s way and despite giving China a hard run, Amit Gulia’s boys went down 22-25. But India came back strongly in the second set and kept China under check, largely due to John and Gulia. They eventually nicked a close set, which lasted 32 minutes, 29-27. (IANS)