India claim maiden CWG badminton mixed team gold

IMAGE: The Indian players celebrate after winning the Badminton Mixed Team gold medal. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

The legendary but on the wane Lee Chong Wei was one of the casualties as a rampaging Indian mixed badminton team claimed its maiden Commonwealth Games gold medal, thrashing three-time defending champions Malaysia in the final, in Gold Coast, on sunday.

 

The pair of Satwik Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa claimed the mixed doubles match against Peng Soon Chan and Liu Yong Goh 21-14, 15-21 ,21-15, before Kidambi Srikanth stunned three-time Olympic silver medallist Lee 21-17, 21-14 in straight games.

Kidambi Srikanth

IMAGE: Srikanth Kidambi in action during his singles match against Lee Chong Wei. Photograph: Albert Perez/Getty Images

The debutant men's doubles pairing of Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty lost to Goh and Wee Kiong Tan 15-21, 20-22 to keep Malaysia afloat for a while.

But the in-form Saina Nehwal put paid to the Malaysian hopes with a 21-11, 19-21, 21-9 win over Soniia Cheah in the women's singles match.

Saina Nehwal

IMAGE: Saina Nehwal celebrates winning a point. Photograph: Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

The Indian, who has played every one of the women's singles matches in the event, did look a bit jaded but still had enough in her arsenal to thwart a fighting Cheah.

Her victory ensured that the women's doubles pair of N Sikki Reddy and Ashwini did not have to show up for their clash against Vivian Hoo and Mei Kuan Chow.