On Friday, India’s fancied shuttlers did not break a sweat in their 5-0 whitewash of Pakistan in their combined group marketing campaign opener at the twenty-second Commonwealth Games.
In their mixed doubles group A clash at the National Exhibition Centre, B Sumeeth Reddy and Machimanda Ponnappa won comfortably 21-9, 21-12 over Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti and Ghazala Siddique.
After the Pakistan pair appeared to fight back in the second game, Reddy finished the match with a down-the-line smash, and world number 11 Kidambi Srikanth picked up where his mixed doubles colleagues left off, easily defeating Murad Ali 21-7, 21-12 in the men’s singles match.
The gap in education was obvious because Pakistanis struggled to meet the Indians’ stringent requirements.
Then it was P V Sindhu’s turn to win the ladies’ singles with a commanding victory over Mahoor Shahzad. The champion Indian shuttler was victorious 21-7, 21-6.
Mahoor was unable to counter Sindhu’s powerful smashes and had to rely on her higher-ranked opponent’s unforced errors to win.
It was all about getting the “really feel” of the court for world number seven Sindhu, who had pulled out of the previous Commonwealth Games group event due to an ankle injury.
“I twisted my ankle the last time and was clearly recovering.” As a group, we’re pretty excited this time. It’s a unique atmosphere, as the group is actually quite large, hoping for one of the best.
When discussing Indo-Pak sporting competitions, she stated, “Expectations will always be there, but it’s about giving your best in the courtroom.” When I walk into the courtroom, it’s just the match, me, and how I’m participating in it. “That’s all.
Sindhu is hoping to win her first CWG gold right here, after winning the Singapore Open.
“Winning the Singapore Open gives me a lot of confidence.” Of course, victory was desperately desired by this one. So I’m hoping that the rhythm will continue and
Unlike in the previous three matches, Pakistan attempted to take the fight to the Indians. Rankireddy and Chirag, on the other hand, quickly found their stride and won 21-12, 21-9.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand of India dominated Mahoor Shahzad and Ghazala Siddique in the final ladies’ doubles match, winning 21-4, 21-5.
