Gold Coast: India’s mixed badminton team put up a commanding show to clinch their maiden gold medal, defeating three-time defending champions Malaysia 3-1 in the final of the event at the 21st Commonwealth Games (CWG) here on Monday.
World No.2 men’s singles star Kidambi Srikanth, 2012 Olympic bronze medallist Saina Nehwal and the mixed doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa all won a match each to power India past Lee Chong Wei-spearheaded Malaysia which was winning gold since the 2006 CWG.
India’s gold medal match began on a strong note, with Satwik and Ashwini defeating Liu Ying Goh and Peng Soon Chan 21-14, 15-21, 21-15 in an hour and five minutes to make it 1-0. It was a crucial win considering Malaysia possess strong doubles pairs. Ashwini’s smart net-game coupled with Satwik’s firepower enabled the pair to a superb win.
World No.2 Srikanth shone bright with a 21-17, 21-14 win over veteran Chong Wei in 43 minutes to hand India a 2-0 lead.
It was Srikanth’s first win in five matches against the World No.6 Malaysian, who has grabbed runners-up medals three times each in the Olympics and the World Championships.
Chong Wei, 35, lacked the sharpness, especially in defence as Srikanth attacked to his forehand, keeping the veteran under pressure. In the first game, the Indian had a 14-10 advantage but Chong Wei kept coming back but Srikanth pulled through towards the end to win 21-17.
Chong Wei’s poor defence, couple with his poor line judgements added to his fall in the second game as Srikanth raced to an 11-5 lead. Afterwards it was just a matter of time for Srikanth to seal the win — which he did with a 21-14 win in the second game, propelling India to a 2-0 cushion.
India’s men’s doubles contest, the pair of Satwik and Chirag Shetty lost to Olympic silver medal-winning pair of V. Shem Goh and Tan Wee Kiong 15-21, 20-22 in 38 minutes as Malaysia kept the tie alive.
In the fourth match, World No.12 and two-time World Championships medallist Saina Nehwal brought her experience to the fore as she got past World No.29 Soniia Cheah 21-11, 19-21, 21-9 in an hour and five minutes. The win sealed the issue for India, which failed to return with a medal in this category from the 2014 Glasgow CWG.
It was a mixed day for India in the athletics events as high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and sprinter Mohammad Anas entered the finals, while Hima Das advanced to the semi-finals. There were disappointments too, with Suriya Loganathan and shotputter Tejinder Pal Singh failing to make their mark.
Shankar entered the final of the men’s high jump event with a best attempt of 2.21 metres. He finished the qualification stage at the joint fifth spot.
