Commonwealth TT | Indian teams cruise to the threshold of glory
The Indian men's and women's table tennis teams have advanced to the finals of the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships after defeating England. Both teams are set to face Malaysia in the title clashes.
Why it matters
This represents a significant achievement for Indian athletes in a major international sporting event.
Diminutive Sreeja Akula and bespectacled Manav Thakkar produced contrasting yet equally influential performances as India’s women and men marched into the team finals of the 22nd Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex on Wednesday.
Both the teams outclassed England in their respective semifinals to set up title clashes against giant-killer Malaysia on Thursday.
The afternoon session began with the Indian women taking centre stage before a vocal group of schoolchildren cheering the home side. Sreeja, blending her long-pimpled backhand with explosive forehand topspin winners, barely broke sweat in dispatching Cheuk Wong to hand India the perfect start.
England responded through the experienced Tin-Tin Ho. Armed with her distinctive pen-hold grip and an uncanny ability to effectively use her backhand, Ho never allowed Yashaswini Ghorpade to settle into a rhythm and levelled the tie with a commanding win.
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