Sharath Kamal did the star turn, winning both his singles matches, as India’s men's table tennis team upstaged defending champions Singapore to enter the final of the 21st Commonwealth Games, in Gold Coast, on Monday.
Like the women's team, which stunned Singapore on Sunday to clinch its maiden gold medal in the Commonwealth Games, the men's team got the better of the Asian powerhouse 3-2.
Kamal beat Shao Feng Ethan Poh 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 first and then Xue Jie Pang in a thrilling deciding tie 11-5, 12-10, 12-10 to seal India's place in the final.
Veteran Gao Ning was the only Singapore player to register singles victories.
The 35-year-old legend, a three-time gold medallist at the Games, defeated Harmeet Desai 11-9, 11-5, 11-8, and G Sathiyan 11-5, 10-12, 11-4, 13-11 but the rest of his team fell apart against the Indians.
In the doubles, the combination of Sathiyan and Desai rallied to get the better of Pang and Poh 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8.