Smooth start by shuttlers in team event

Gold Coast: Indian shuttlers got off to a flying start in the mixed team championship as they blanked Sri Lanka and Pakistan by 5-0 margins in preliminary clashes on the opening day of the Commonwealth Games here on Thursday.

Spearheaded by Saina Nehwal and K. Srikanth in singles, India dominated the Sri Lankans throughout, the mixed doubles being the only match in the tie where they were extended a shade.

India later trounced Pakistan despite world no. 2 Srikanth was made to work hard by Murad Ali in men’s singles.

Against Lanka, Pranaav Chopra and Ruthvika Gadde opened with a 21-15, 19-21, 22-20 win over Sachin Dias and Thilini Pramodika. Srikanth then dispatched Niluka Karunaratane 21-16, 21-10. Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty made a successful CWG debut, defeating Dinuka Karunaratna and Buwaneka Goonethillkea 21-17, 21-14 while Saina annihiliated Madushika Beruelage 21-8, 21-4.

Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy beat Thilini Pramodika and Kavidi Siriannage 21-12 21-14 to complete the  rout.

In squash, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinnappa, who will be defending their women’s doubles gold medal, made winning starts in their singles competitions.

While Pallikal got the better of Trinidad and Tobago’s Charlotte Knaggs 11-6, 11-5, 11-5, Chinnappa sailed past Papua and New Guinea Lynette Vai 11-3, 11-7, 11-2.

But Saurav Ghosal’s 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11, 10-12 defeat to Jamaica’s Chris Binnie came as a shock even though Harinder Pal Sandhu and Vikram Malhotra won their respective matches.

The table tennis players got past their initial hurdles rather easily with the women’s team defeating Sri Lanka 3-0 and Wales 3-1. The men’s team blanked Trinidad and Tobago 3-0 before beating Northern Ireland by a similar margin.

Apart from Ghosal, the other major disappointment was the women’s hockey team, who were stunned 2-3 by Wales.