India at CWG 2022 Day 1 wrap: Defeat in cricket however Srihari Nataraj and hockey, desk tennis groups impress

India had a reasonably spectacular opening day on the Commonwealth Games 2022 regardless of not selecting up a medal in Birmingham on Friday, July 29. It was the primary time since 2002 that India did not bag a medal on the opening day of the Games.

However, there have been loads of optimistic outcomes rising out of the Alexander Stadium in Birmingham however one of many main disappointments on the opening day was the India defeat to powerhouses Australia within the first-ever girls’s cricket match in Commonwealth Games’ historical past.

CRICKET HEARTBREAK

Harmanpreet Kaur’s ladies got here near scripting historical past as they have been almost pulled off an upset in opposition to T20 World Cup champions Australia within the Group A match on the Edgbaston cricket floor in Birmingham. However, Australia flaunted their batting depth to get better from 49 for five and chase down 155 with an over to spare.

Harmanrpeet Kaur’s historic fifty and a shocking new-ball burst from Renuka Singh Thakur (4/18) was not sufficient as India did not defend a 154-run whole.

Australia recovered from 5 for 49 to chase down 155 with an over to spare as they rode on a counter-attacking fifty from Ash Gardener and a 20-ball 37 from Grace Harris. Alana King remained unbeaten on 18 from 16 balls as Australia received the primary ever factors in girls’s cricket in Commonwealth Games.

SRIHARI SHINES

21-year-old Indian swimmer Srihari Nataraj made it to the ultimate of the boys’s 100m backstroke. Nataraj certified after ending 4th within the semi-final Heat 2, seventh general among the many 8 qualifiers with a timing of 54.55s.

Screengrab from Birmingham 2022 web site

CWG 2022, Day 1 Highlights

Srihari Nataraj has a private better of 53.77s and the younger swimmer from Bengaluru might be trying to get nearer to the mark and end on the rostrum. India have to date solely received one bronze in swimming in Commonwealth Games.

Nataraj might be in motion within the males’s 100m backstroke ultimate on Sunday, July 31 (1:35 am IST).

TABLE TENNIS TEAMS ON FIRE

India’s women and men’s groups, each defending champions within the group desk tennis occasions, started their title defence on a powerful word. While the boys hammered Barbados earlier than outclassing Singapore within the first two group-stage matches, the ladies’s group, led by a dominant Manika Batra.

Senior campaigner Achantha Sharath Kamal led from the entrance and helped India outclass Singapore 3-0. The scoreboard may recommend a dominant win for India however the tie was removed from straightforward, giving the well-rounded group take a look at within the group phases.

Manika and Sreeja Akula have been in high-quality type as the ladies defeated Fiji and South Africa of their two group-stage ties on the opening day of the CWG 2022.

ANAHAT, 14, STARTS WELL

India’s youngest consultant within the historical past of the Commonwealth Games, Anahat Singh confirmed indicators of what’s to return sooner or later by profitable her girls’s singles squash first-round match in a dominant method.

Anahat sealed a 11-5, 11-0, 11-2 win over Jada Ross St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Anahat who’s trying to study from the Birmingham 2022 expertise has already received 50 titles together with the US Junior Open, the British, German and Dutch Junior Opens and Asian Championship. The teenager is trying to profit from her expertise on the Commonwealth Games.

India’s Abhay Singh additionally received his Round of 64 match in males’s singles class.

HOCKEY: IND 5-0 GHANA

Indian girls’s hockey group began off their Commonwealth Games marketing campaign on a bittersweet word as they defeated Ghana 5-0. However, it ought to have been extra complete in opposition to a lower-ranked group.

Gurjit Kaur, Sangita Kumari, Salima Tete and Neha have been among the many scoresheet as India tried a complete of 28 pictures within the sport. The girls in blue made merry over the shoddy defence of Ghana, who seemed confused on the day.

India might have made it harder for Ghana however they have been wasteful. Penalty nook conversion additionally continued to hang-out India as they made use of only one out of 10 probabilities.

INDIA HAMMER PAKISTAN IN BADMINTON

India’s blended badminton group, which received the gold medal in Gold Coast in 2018, got here up with a shocking begin, beating Pakistan 5-0.

PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth, taking part in singles matches, have been at their dominant greatest beating Murad Ali and Mahoor Shahzad, respectively. India took a decisive lead of 3-0 however they carried on to play the final two matches and made it 5-0.

Screengrab from Birmingham 2022 web site

India are actually on prime of Group A which additionally has Australia and Sri Lanka.

BOXING: SHIVA BEGINS WELL

Indian boxer Shiva Thapa kickstarted his Commonwealth Games marketing campaign by defeating Pakistan’s Suleman Baloch within the first spherical of the 63kg class in Birmingham on Friday. The 28-year-old Thapa hardly broke a sweat as he registered a complete 5-0 win over Baloch to maneuver to the pre-quarterfinals of the sunshine welterweight.

LAWN BOWLS

Woman singles participant Tania Choudhary and males’s triples group suffered twin losses every on the opening day of garden bowl competitions within the Commonwealth Games right here on Friday. The Indian males’s group of Chandan Kumar Singh (skip) Navneet Singh (lead) and Mridul Borgohain (second) misplaced 6-23 to New Zealand of their first sport. They then suffered 12-19 defeat by the hands of Scotland within the second sport (WITH PTI INPUTS).

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