Sports

IIE DIGITAL: India celebrated a memorable day at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships by capturing both the men's and women's team titles in New Delhi. Although table tennis is not part of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games this year, the standalone championship provided Indian paddlers with a perfect opportunity to showcase their dominance.

The women's team sealed the title in commanding fashion with a 3-0 victory over Malaysia. Swastika Ghosh handed India the early advantage by defeating Shin Tee, before Sreeja Akula edged past Karen Annak in a hard-fought five-game contest. Yashaswini Ghorpade wrapped up the final by overcoming Alice Lee, ensuring an unbeaten finish for India. Sutirtha Mukherjee and Syndrela Das were also part of the championship-winning squad but did not feature in the final.

The men's final proved far more intense. Manav Thakkar and Manush Shah gave India a flying start with successive victories, but Malaysia fought back after G. Sathiyan and Thakkar lost their respective matches to level the tie at 2-2. In the decisive encounter, Manush Shah produced a dominant straight-game win over Javen Chung to seal a thrilling 3-2 triumph and India's second team gold.

The victory also served as sweet revenge for the Indian women's team, which had been knocked out by Malaysia in the quarter-finals of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. Head coach Saurav Chakraborty praised the young squad, saying the twin titles would significantly boost India's confidence ahead of the upcoming Asian Games.

With the team events concluded, the focus now shifts to the singles and doubles competitions, which begin on Friday.