NEW DELHI: India enjoyed another productive day at the 2026 Commonwealth Games on Saturday, with boxer Sachin Siwach advancing to the pre-quarterfinals and women’s bowlers pair Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh extending their unbeaten run to hold on to the semi-finals.A day after parapowerlifter Jhandu Kumar opened India’s medal tally with a bronze medal, Indian athletes produced a series of encouraging performances in boxing, bowls and gymnastics, although there were disappointments in swimming and wheelchair basketball.With Olympic silver medal Mirabai Chanu set to begin their title defense on Sunday, India will look to build on the positive momentum.
Boxing: Sachin Siwach clears the opening hurdle
One of India’s brightest medal hopes in boxing, Sachin Siwach, survived a stiff challenge from Canada’s Keoma Al-Ahmadieh to advance to the men’s 60kg pre-quarterfinals.
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The 26-year-old claimed a 4-1 split verdict in the round of 32 at the SEC Center in Glasgow, overcoming an opponent he had beaten twice before.“It was a tough match but I have beaten him twice before so I was quite confident,” Sachin said. “It was important for me to beat him today because it was in the Commonwealth Games.”Siwach will face England’s William Hewitt in the round of 16.
India’s Pinki Singh, left, and Rupa Rani Tirkey. (PTI photo)
Lawn bowls: Rupa-Pinki remains unbeaten, Sonowal suffers first defeat
The Indian women’s pairs combination of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh continued their impressive campaign with a third consecutive win in the B Section.The Birmingham 2022 gold medalists defeated Tonga 2-0 in a tie-break after splitting the two sets, boosting their chances of reaching the semi-finals.The Indians won the opening set 5-2 before Tonga stormed back to take the second 6-4. Rupa and Pinki, however, held their nerve in the tie-break to secure victory.The Indian duo now share three wins from three matches with England, but trail the latter on seven wins. They will take on Namibia in their fourth sectional match on Sunday.There was disappointment in the men’s singles, where Putul Sonowal suffered his first defeat of the campaign.The Assam Police officer lost 0-2 (4-8, 8-9) to Malaysia’s Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple despite producing a spirited comeback in the second set after trailing 5-9.Sonowal, who stunned reigning world champion Ryan Bester in his opening match and followed it up with another hard-fought win, remains second in the Section D rankings ahead of his clash against Maltese Shaun James Parnis.
Artistic Gymnastics: India finished fifth in Subdivision 3
India’s women’s artistic gymnastics team of Pranati Nayak, Nishka Agarwal, Eshita Rewale and Protistha Samanta ended their qualification campaign with a combined score of 29.850 in the floor exercise.The quartet finished with a total score of 123,000 points after all four apparatus for fifth place after Subdivision 3 in the women’s team and individual qualification competition.The gymnasts had previously competed in the vault, uneven bars and balance beam before concluding their campaign on the floor.
Swimming: Indian duo lose 400m freestyle final
India’s challenge in the pool ended early as both Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra were unsuccessful in the men’s 400m freestyle final.Shashikumar clocked 3:58.09 to finish 15th overall among 27 swimmers, while Nehra placed 16th in 4:00.26.Although Shashikumar was seventh in his heat, he could not maintain the pace needed to qualify.
Wheelchair basketball: Wales beat India
India suffered another tough outing in the women’s wheelchair basketball competition, suffering a comprehensive 1-16 defeat to Wales in their Group B match.The Indian team struggled to cope with Wales’ intensity throughout the contest, converting just one of their 12 scoring attempts as their opponents dominated from start to finish.
Mirabai Chanu headlines Sunday hopes in India
Attention now shifts to the weightlifting arena, where Olympic silver medalist Mirabai Chanu is expected to launch her Commonwealth Games campaign and begin the defense of her title.India entered the competition despite a troubled build-up after its weightlifting team was reduced from 16 to 11 following multiple doping violations, with Dilbag Singh (96kg) the latest lifter to withdraw.Even with the setbacks, India remains one of the strongest heavyweight nations at the Commonwealth Games, and Mirabai will be expected to lead another medal-winning day as the country looks to add to Jhandu Kumar’s historic bronze haul.