India edged the Republic of Korea 3-2 in a thrilling men's Pool C match in Asian Games volleyball to enter the knockout stage in Hangzhou, China, on Wednesday.

In a nail-biting final set, India survived a match point to win 25-27, 29-27, 25-22, 20-25, 17-15 against the five-time champions.

Tamil Nadu blocker LM Manoj was the star of the final set as he single-handedly secured three points in a row to turn the game on its head.

With Korea serving for the match, Manoj levelled the tie at 15 with a powerful spike. He then effected a pair of blocks to ensure India's second win in the event.

India had crushed Cambodia 3-0 to begin their campaign. With consecutive wins, India topped Pool C and advanced to the next round.

India are ranked 73rd in the world as opposed to the 27th-ranked Koreans, who were losing finalists in the previous edition.

Blocker Shameemudheen and wing-spiker Erin Varghese are the Malayali players in the Indian squad. Iconic spiker Tom Joseph, a third Malayali in the contingent, is the assistant to head coach Jaideep Sarkar.

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