New Delhi: India enjoyed another good day at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Saturday, with boxer Sachin Siwach advancing to the pre-quarterfinals and women’s grass bowls duo Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh extending their unbeaten run to stay strong in the finals.​​​​​​A day after Jhandu Kumar opened India’s medal account with a bronze medal, Indian athletes put up encouraging performances in boxing, lawn bowls and gymnastics, despite disappointments in swimming and handicap basketball.I have an Olympic silver medal To Mirabai Chan to begin the defense of its title on Sunday, India will look to build a strong future.
Boxing: Sachin Siwach clears the opening hurdle
One of India’s best medal hopefuls in boxing, Sachin Siwach, survived Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh to advance to the men’s 60kg pre-quarterfinal.
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The 26-year-old won 4-1 on a split decision in the 32nd round at Glasgow’s SEC Centre, defeating an opponent he had beaten twice before.“It was a tough fight but I had beaten him twice before so I was confident,” said Sachin. “It was important that I beat him today because it was at the Commonwealth Games.”Siwach will next meet England’s William Hewitt in the round of 16.
India’s Pinki Singh, left, and Rupa Rani Tirkey. (PTI photo)
Straw Bowls: Rupa-Pinki remains undefeated, Sonowal is defeated for the first time
The Indian women’s doubles pair of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh continued their impressive campaign with a third consecutive victory in the B Division.The Birmingham 2022 gold medalists beat Tonga 2-0 at half-time after sharing two sets, strengthening their chances of reaching the semifinals.The Indians won the first set 5-2 before Tonga came back to take the second 6-4. Rupa and Pinki, however, held on at the break to win.The Indian pair now share three wins from three matches with England but are trailing by the sets they have won. They will face Namibia in their fourth match on Sunday.There were disappointments in the men’s category, with Putul Sonowal losing for the first time in the tournament.The Assam policeman lost 0-2 (4-8, 8-9) to Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple of Malaysia despite fighting hard in the second set after trailing 5-9.Sonowal, who stunned world champion Ryan Bester in his opening match and followed it up with another emphatic victory, remains second in the Division D standings in his tie with Malta’s Shaun James Parnis.
Sporting performance: India finished fifth in Division 3
India’s women’s gymnastics team of Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshita Rewale and Protistha Samanta ended their qualifying campaign with a 29.850 plus floor exercise.The quartet finished with 123,000 points after all four sets to place fifth after Subdivision 3 in the women’s team and individual qualifying competition.Gymnasts in the past competed in the gym, uneven bars and bars before finishing their campaign on the floor.
Swimming: Indian pair misses 400m freestyle final
India’s woes in the pool ended early as Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra failed to qualify for the men’s 400m freestyle final.Shashikumar clocked 3:58.09 to finish 15th among 27 swimmers, while Nehra was 16th in 4:00.26.Although Shashikumar was seventh in the middle of his heat, he was unable to maintain the momentum needed to qualify.
Wheelchair Football: Wales over India
India faced another setback in the women’s wheelchair basketball tournament, suffering a crushing 1-16 loss to Wales in their Group B match.The Indian team struggled against Wales’ tenacity throughout the tournament, conceding only one goal in 12 attempts as their opponents dominated from start to finish.
Your Mirabai is the headline news in India on Sunday
Attention now turns to the weightlifting arena, where Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu is expected to kick off her Commonwealth Games campaign and begin the defense of her title.India went into the competition despite the tie breaking after their weightlifting squad was reduced from 16 to 11 following multiple violations during practice, and the latest lifter Dilbag Singh (96kg) was disqualified.Despite the setbacks, India remains one of the most developed nations at the Commonwealth Games, and Mirabai is expected to lead another medal-winning day as the country looks to add to Jhandu Kumar’s previous bronze.