NEW DELHI: The Indian women’s doubles combination of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh continued their unbeaten run at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, overcoming Tonga in a tie-breaker on Saturday to move a step closer to the bowls semi-finals.The experienced duo, both members of India’s historic four-woman team that won gold at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, defeated Tonga’s Paris Baker and Milika Nathan 2-0 via a tie-breaker after the two sides shared the first two sets in their Section B encounter. With the win, India registered their third straight win in the women’s doubles competition and remain firmly in the race for a semi-final berth.
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England still have three wins from three matches in Section B but sit top of the table after claiming one more set than the Indian pair.
India recovered from the first encounter before holding their nerve
Tonga made the brightest start, taking the lead after the opening over with Paris Baker producing an impressive spell that put the Indians under early pressure.Rupa, however, responded brilliantly in the second end with a superb second bowl, while skip Pinki Singh expertly rallied the contest as India leveled the scores at 1-1.The momentum quickly shifted in India’s favor as the duo combined effectively on the remaining ends to seal the opening set 5-2.The second set was much more challenging. Baker and skip Milika Nathan dominated the early exchanges, racing to a commanding 6-0 lead after three ends.Rupa and Pinki attempted a late recovery but were unable to erase the deficit as Tonga claimed the set 6-4, forcing the contest into a decisive tie-breaker.When the pressure was at its highest, the Indian pair gave. Rupa gave India the lead before Pinki calmly finished the job, sealing another crucial win and keeping India’s unbeaten record intact.In lawn bowls, the skipper is responsible for opening each end and placing the bowls as close to the jack as possible, while the skip, usually the most experienced player on the team, calls the tactics and delivers the final bowls of each end.
Disappointment for Indian swimmers
It was, however, a disappointing day in the pool for India.Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra failed to progress to the men’s 400m freestyle final after finishing outside the qualifying places at the Tollcross Swimming Centre.Shashikumar clocked 3:58.09 to finish 15th overall among 27 swimmers. Competing in Heat 3, he briefly rose to seventh position at the halfway point, but faded in the closing stages.Nehra, born in Heat 4, clocked 4:00.26 to place 16th overall after staying at the back of the field during her run.
