CWG 2018, day 5, as it happened: Badminton, men’s table tennis golds cap another good day for India

06:30 pm: So that’s a wrap from us for today. What a brilliant day of action it was. A 12-year-drought ended in table tennis, a clinical performance from Jitu Rai for gold, Mehuli Ghosh made the world take note of her talent with a 10.9 off her final shot, then clinching silver. But the day, ultimately, belongs to the badminton team for ending the long, long wait for a Commonwealth Games GOLD in a team event. A great era for badminton, indeed. Join us tomorrow for more action!

06:10 pm: Here are some things you might have missed today...

We spoke to Mehuli Ghosh’s coach, Joydeep Karmakar about her silver medal winning performance, and he reckons there’s plenty more to come from the 17-year-old. Read here.

And a fabulous weightlifting campaign came to an end as well.

05:45 pm: A look at the medals tally after India’s gold at the badminton team event... up to 3rd!

05:30 pm: Plenty of smiles at the medal ceremony... and why not. This has been a hard-earned win, long in the making. The victory dance can begin. What a wonderful performance by team India. Srikanth, Saina, Satwik, Ashwini.... everyone was superb!

5.10 pm: Here are all the stats from that crazy match between Saina Nehwal and Soniia Cheah, which secured the gold for India!

5.06 pm: And it’s GOLD for India in the mixed-team badminton – for the first time in CWG history no less!!! Saina Nehwal wins 21-11, 19-21, 21-9!!! Ooooof!!

5.05 pm: Saina wins the rally of the match to get 11 championship-point opportunities!! 20-9!

5.03 pm: Saina wins ELEVEN points in a row to take a 19-9 lead in the decider!! Surely, surely, the gold is won now!

5 pm: Saina Nehwal takes a slender 11-9 lead into the interval of the 3rd game against Soniia Cheah. There’s absolutely no way to tell which way this match is headed! Cheah has really upped her game after losing the first game and she looks a different player. Saina needs to dig into her reserves and take this match, or we head into the women’s doubles to decide the gold.

4.55 pm: India’s Suriya Loganathan has recorded a personal best in the women’s 10,000m – 32:23.56 – but that is only good enough for 13th place in the final. Uganda’s Stella Chesang wins the gold with 31:45.30.

4.50 pm: Over in the men’s shot put final, it hasn’t been the 23-year-old Tejinder Singh’s day. A maximum of 19.42 in his six attempts is well below the 20.24 he threw at the Federation Cup in March. As Tejinder finishes 8th in the shot put, coach Mohinder Singh Dhillon who had said that his ward would cross 21 metres, must be puzzled.

4.45 pm: We’re going into a decider, people! Soniia Cheah has snatched the second game away from Saina Nehwal and won it 21-19. She’s not going away that easily. Malaysia are still in this tie! India will be hoping this does not go into the final women’s doubles match!

4.39 pm: Did we say India are moments away from gold? Might be a bit longer as Soniia wins four points in a row to take a 17-11 lead in the second game! The medical time-out taken by the Malaysian seems to have upset Nehwal’s rhythm!

4.35 pm: A medical time-out taken by Soniia Cheah for what looks like a cut on her hand gives us all some breathing space to process what all has happened this afternoon (see below)! Saina Nehwal leads 21-11, 13-11 and India are moments away from wrapping up the gold in the mixed-team badminton!

4.21 pm: Meanwhile in badminton, Saina Nehwal has just come back from 9-11 down against Soniia Cheah to win the next TWELVE points and take the first game 21-11! Mind. Blown!!

4.17 pm: Here’s the victorious Indian men’s table tennis team with their gold medals!

4.11 pm: India’s Gurdeep Singh didn’t have a good Clean and Jerk in the men’s +105 kg weightlifting final as he manages only one successful attempt of 207 kg. He is almost certainly not ending up with a medal.

4.02 pm: Good times for Indian table tennis!

4 pm: Here’s Arka Bhattacharya on Muhammad Anas’s superb 400m semi-final winning run:

At the opening event of the season, the Indian Grand Prix in Patiala, Anas had struggled in sultry conditions, posting 51.77 and slowing down towards the end of the race. This was reminiscent of the 45.32 he had set in New Delhi last year, the national record. At the Fed Cup, his 46.13 was enough for the win but not convincing enough. The final won’t be easy though, with the likes of Isaac Makwala red-hot favourites, but making the final is an achievement, nonetheless. 

3.57 pm: It’s another GOLD for India in table tennis as the men’s team beats Nigeria 3-0 in the final! Sathiyan and Harmeet Desai win the doubles match in straight games to bring home the gold! First the women’s team, now the men’s! What a last 24 hours it has been for Indian paddlers!

3.54 pm: It’s Goh and Tan’s turn to stage a comeback as they fight back from 12-16 down in the second game to level 17-17. Both pairs fought tooth and nail to take the score to 20-20 before the Malaysians landed the final blow. India still have a 2-1 lead in the tie and it’s now up to Saina Nehwal to wrap things up against Soniia Cheah.

3.50 pm: Super run by Anas in the men’s 400m semi-final! He was in fourth position with around 150 metres to go but then picked up his pace and left the others trailing!

3.47 pm: Muhammad Anas Yahiya has won his 400m semi-final heat with a time of 45.44 to reach the final! Unbelievable run in the final 100m!

3.43 pm: In table tennis, Sathiyan is back for the doubles match immediately, where he and Harmeet can clinch the gold for India by winning. Early lead for the Indian duo as they take the first game 11-7!

3.38 pm: Against the turn, Satwik and Chirag have taken a 11-7 lead into the second game’s break! Despite losing the first game, the Indians did not let up in their attack and it seems to have eventually got to the Malaysians. Satwik and Chirag’s net play was also very good and now they have a good chance to force a decider!

3.34 pm: Over in table tennis, Sathiyan is pumped up! That first game which he lost seems a long way back as he wins the match 10-12, 11-3, 11-3, 11-4 and lets out a massive cry. The highest-ranked Indian singles player lives up to his reputation with a dominating display. India one win away from clinching GOLD in the men’s team event!

3.30 pm: Goh and Tan are proving to be just too strong for Satwik and Chirag. The Malaysian pair’s defence has been amazing and no amount of jump smashes from the Indians seem to be causing them problems. The Malaysians have taken the first game 21-15 and look set to pull one back for their team.

3.24 pm: And in table tennis, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has taken the lead against Nigeria’s Segun Toriola after losing the first game. Sathiyan leads 10-12, 11-3, 11-3. Looks like the first game, which went down to the wire, has taken the wind out of the Nigerian.

3.20 pm: The men’s doubles match of the badminton mixed-team final has kicked off, where a tired Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and his partner Chirag Shetty are taking on the world No 13 pair of V Shem Goh and Wee Kiong Tan. The Malaysians have taken a 11-7 lead into the first-game interval. Their defence has just been too good against the Indian pairs’ jump smashes.

3.15 pm: Over in the weightlifting men’s +105 kg final, India’s Gurdeep Singh has done really well in the Snatch category, lifting a joint-highest 175 kg. He’s given himself a good chance of ending on the podium!

3.12 pm: Back in table tennis, Sathiyan Gnanasekaran has lost the first game of his singles match against Nigeria’s Segun Toriola 10-12.

3.02 pm: Kidambi Srikanth gives India a 2-0 lead over Malaysia in the final of the badminton mixed-team event after thrashing Lee Chong Wei 21-17, 21-14! Srikanth was absolutely ruthless and Chong Wei looked like he wanted to be somewhere else! At 16-12 in the second game, the two engaged in a spectacular rally lasting 38 shots, which was won by Srikanth. From there, it was all over as Chong Wei folded up.

3 pm: Sharath Kamal wins the fourth game 11-9 against Nigeria’s Bode Abiodun to give India a 1-0 lead in the final of the table tennis men’s team event!

2.53 pm: Meanwhile, Sharath Kamal has taken the lead against Nigeria’s Bode Abiodun in the final of the table tennis men’s team event. Sharath wins the third game 11-4.

2.50 pm: Srikanth is absolutely steamrolling Chong Wei and has taken a substantial 11-5 lead into the second game’s break. He looks well on course to giving India a 2-0 lead in the tie. Not just his attack, but some of his returns have also been spectacular! Just too good for the Malaysian!

2.46 pm: Sharath Kamal has drawn level in his match against Nigeria’s Bode Abiodun in the final of the table tennis men’s team event. Sharath won the second game 11-5.

2.44 pm: FYI, this is the first time Srikanth has won, leave alone a match, but also a game against the legendary Chong Wei! They are playing against each other for the first time in three years, though.

2.42 pm: Kidambi Srikanth draws first blood in his contest with Lee Chong Wei, winning the first game 21-17 in 22 minutes. Srikanth’s attack and defence both has been top-notch and he has managed to control the play so far, something that is not the easiest against a player like Chong Wei. Srikanth also won the first game from the slower side of the court and is likely to be at a further advantage in the second after switching ends.

2.37 pm: The table tennis men’s team final between India and Nigeria has also begun, with Sharath Kamal playing the first singles match against Bode Abiodun. The Nigerian has taken the first game 11-4.

2.30 pm: K Srikanth and Lee Chong Wei have kicked off what promises to be another exciting match. The Indian’s defence has been really good, apart from his trademark attacking flair, in the first game so far as he takes a 11-8 lead into the interval. Chong Wei hasn’t really settled in yet and Srikanth should look to make as much use of this period as he can.

2.21 pm: Here are all the stats from the epic match that just ended:

2.18 pm: Here’s Abhijeet Kulkarni on the epic match that just ended:

A lot depended on this mixed doubles match for India as their strategy clearly was to go for the kill once they decided to field Satwik and Ashwini, despite knowing that the 17-year-old will have to play the men’s doubles too. Ashwini showed tremendous leadership skills to change the course of the match in the decider and could have to play that role once again in the fifth and final rubber. If K Srikanth beats Lee Chong Wei in the singles, India would be favourite to take the title for the first time well before we even reach the women’s doubles rubber.

2.10 pm: And they’ve done the extra-ordinary!! Trailing 8-12 in the decider, Satwik and Ashwini win SEVEN points in a row to completely turn things around and win it 21-15! Ashwini took the lead and used all her experience to bring India back into it. She executed her flick serves from the slower side of the court with brilliance and almost carried Satwik through it. The Indians’ defence was also a lot better than it was in the second game. Unbelievable scenes! India take a 1-0 lead against Malaysia!

2 pm: India step up the attack again in the third game but the Malaysian pair’s defence is top-notch as they manage to retrieve nearly everything thrown at them. Chan and Goh again take a 11-7 lead into the break and will also move to the faster side of the court for the second half. Satwik and Ashwini need something special to get out of this one!

1.45 pm: Malaysia have levelled it up after taking the second game 21-15! Satwik and Ashwini seem to have shifted down a gear after winning the first game and paid for it. They were also not helped by the Malaysians playing from the faster side of the court. In the deciding game, the Indian pair should look to win as many points in the first half when they are playing from the faster side.

Vinayakk Mohanarangan weighs in:

Satwik has shown a tendency to drop off in the past after starting well, can’t afford that here. Admitted during the Premier Badminton League that he has a problem staying focussed for long periods and that’s something he’s working on. Needs to be consistent throughout. Far too many errors in the second game.

1.35 pm: The Malaysians fight back in the second game and now it’s their turn to take a 11-7 lead into the break. They’ve looked a lot sharper and aren’t lifting too many shuttles for the Indians to attack. The drift in the court also seems to have helped.

1.25 pm: Satwik and Ashwini are on fire as they take the first game 21-14! They are totally on top of the Malaysians and haven’t allowed them to control the game.

1.15 pm: A great start from Satwik and Ashwini as they take a 11-7 lead into the first-game interval. They’ve been on the attack from the word go and are bombarding the Malaysians with smashes.

1 pm: Almost time for the badminton mixed-team final between India and Malaysia! First up, mixed doubles, where Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Ashwini Ponnappa (world No 57) take on Peng Soon Chan and Liu Ying Goh (world No 56). Come on!!

12.28 pm: India’s Lalchhanhimi finishes 8th in the women’s 90 kg weightlifting final, while compatriot Purnima Pandey ends up 6th in the +90 kg category.

12.25 pm: India now know who they will be taking on in the table tennis men’s team final after Nigeria edged England 3-2 in their marathon semi-final. Four out of those five matches went the distance into five games, while the remaining one went to four! Amazing!

12.15 pm: A blockbuster badminton mixed-team final is now just about 45 minutes away! Here is the line-up, including a mouth-watering clash between Kidambi Srikanth and Lee Chong Wei.

12.05 pm: Thanks to the exploits of Indian athletes on Monday, India are up to third in the medals table again, above Canada.

11.50 am: Smit Singh is eliminated from the men’s skeet final, after missing five of his 20 shots. He finishes sixth in the competition.

11.18 am: India’s Purnima Pandey is also done with her Clean and Jerk in the women’s +90 kg weightlifting and she ends with three successful attempts: 110 kg, 115 kg, 118 kg. She currently leads the table with a combined total of 212 kg but that is likely to change.

11.15 am: Do you agree with PT Usha?

11.05 am: India’s Lalchhanhimi is done with her Clean and Jerk in the women’s 90 kg weightlifting. Her first two attempts of 105 kg and 109 kg were successful, but she got a 1:2 decision against her in her final attempt of 113 kg. She ended with a combined total of 194 kg, which is almost certainly not going to get her on the podium.

10.42 am: Arka Bhattacharya on Boxer Manish Kaushik, who won earlier in the day.

Hailing from the ‘mini Cuba’ of Indian boxing, Bhiwani-born Manish Kaushik’s path to the squad wasn’t easy, Shiva Thapa in his way. But after having defeated Thapa not once but twice in the previous year, the southpaw from the Army can believe in himself to make it to the final. The spotlight is firmly on the lightweight categories with India expected to dominate those divisions. With Panghal, Husamuddin and Solanki progressing, the spotlight is firmly on Kaushik.

10.36 am: The mixed team badminton final coming up soon. It starts at 1300 hrs IST. Here are the match-ups.

10.25 am: India are now third in the medal table. In Glasgow, India won 15 gold medals (30 silver and 19 bronze too) and they look well on course to go better this time round.

10.00 am: Two weight categories are simultaneously on in the weightlifting arena. The 90+ category is also on. Based on snatch, Purnima Pandey doesn’t look like she will finish on the podium. Her best snatch weight is 94.

9.58 am: Women’s 90kg weightlifting has begun. Not a great start for India’s Lalchhanhimi. One successful attempt at 85 but then two failed attempts at 89.

9.42 am: Good results coming in from the boxing ring as well. In the Men’s 60kg Round of 16, Manish Kaushil scored an easy points win and Gaurav Solanki did the same in the Men’s 52kg Round of 16.

9.37 am: And here is a look at the shot progression. Note Mehuli’s 10.9. Stunning. Also note Chandela’s consistency. Only three scores below 10.

9.34 am: And here are the final standings. Mehuli and Veloso broke the Games Record! Just tells you what a stunning competition that was. Mehuli has announced herself on the big stage.

9.30 am: Veloso was quite superb through the competition and her consistency gave her gold but Mehuli Ghosh put up a stunning fight. Remember she is just 17.

9.29 am: And we have a shoot-off! Mehuli shoots a 10.9 with her final shot to force a shoot-off and she can’t stop smiling. They will now shoot one shot to determine the winner.

9.26 am: And how things change! Chandela wins bronze and is eliminated. Nerves got the better of her.

9.21 am: Another poor shot by Veloso – just 9.3. Chandela draws level!

9.21 am: Mehuli has hit a purple patch. High scores but Veloso still sitting pretty at the top.

9.18 am: A poor shot (9.5) by Veloso allows Chandela to close the gap but she is still in the lead.

9.16 am: Very tight at the top. But Veloso is putting on an exhibition. Chandela trying hard to put some pressure but so far, it is having no effect.

9.13 am: Neo has been eliminated but Chandela is now making her move. Into the silver medal position.

9.09 am: Second round of 5 shots is over. Veloso into the lead now. The Eliminations will begin now.

09.04 am: Great start for Mehuli! She leads after five shots but there is only 0.8 between Mehuli and Chandela.

9.00 am: Here we go. First round of five shots coming up. Chandela was brilliant in qualifying and she is the defending champion too.

8.46 am: Next big event for India.
Women’s 10m Air Rifle final at 9 am. Two Indians in the mix there. India have done the 1-2 in three of the last four CWGs. Only place they missed out was Delhi.

8.25 am: Ladies and gents, India’s two latest medallists at CWG 2018: Jitu Rai (gold) and Om Mitherval (bronze)

8 am: And it’s GOLD for Jitu Rai! He’s done it after setting a Games record of 235.1, no less! Fantastic performance under pressure after Australia’s Kerry Bell threatened to usurp him in the final rounds.

7.56 am: Om Mitherval fails to qualify for the gold-medal round, which means he will take the bronze in the men’s 10m Air Pistol!

7.54 am: Jitu Rai and Om Mitherval are both assured of a medal in the men’s 10m Air Pistol final! The colour of the medals to be decided!

7.50 am: India’s Apurvi Chandela and Mehuli Ghosh have both qualified for the Women’s 10m Air Rifle Final! Chandela even broke the Commonwealth Games qualifying record with a score of 423.2! The final will be held at 9 am IST today.

7.45 am: India’s Jitu Rai and Om Mitherval are doing really well in the men’s 10m Air Pistol final. Both are at the top of the table after 14 shots and on course for a 1-2 finish!

7.40 am: India are through to the table tennis men’s team final after edging Singapore 3-2 in the semis! Sharath Kamal won the final singles match 11-5, 12-10, 12-10 to seal the win! India will take on either Nigeria or England in the men’s team final for gold! Final will be held at 2 pm IST on Monday.

7.30 am: Tejaswin Shankar qualifies for the High Jump final with a jump of 2.21m. No jumper tried more than 2.21 in both the qualifying groups and the 12 best went through to the final, which will take place on April 11.

7.25 am: Just to recap some of the drama, after Sanele Mao lifted 206 kg in his second Clean and Jerk attempt, Pardeep Singh went for 209 kg to get into the lead. The Indian looked to have successfully lifted it – with a 2:1 decision in his favour – but it was later overruled! Mao then went for an incredible 211 kg in his final attempt and was successful. Pardeep went for the same but could not manage to lift it!

7.20 am: After some unbelievable drama in the men’s 105 kg weightlifting final, Pardeep Singh wins India its 3rd silver and 13th medal overall! He challenged the eventual gold winner Sanele Mao all the way but failed to match the Samoan’s final Clean and Jerk lift of 211 kg!

7.10 am: Pardeep Singh records a personal best Clean and Jerk of 200 kg in his 1st attempt! Whattey lift! Sanele Mao does the same moments later. The battle is on for the gold!

7.05 am: Pardeep Singh has upped his first Clean and Jerk declared attempt from 196 kg to 200 kg, the same as the leader Sanele Mao. Pardeep has not given up on gold yet!

6.50 am: High jumper Tejaswin Shankar has cleared the height of 2.21m in his second attempt to stay on course for the final qualification mark of 2.27m.

Poovamma Raju misses out on a semi-final spot in the women’s 400m. Her timing was 24th fastest among all runners.

6.40 am: India go 2-1 up against Singapore in the table tennis men’s team semis after Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai win their doubles match in four games. Almost there!

6.37 am: Tejaswin Shankar has so far cleared 2.18m in the High Jump qualifying without much trouble. He’s on course for the final so far.

6.35 am: India’s Hima Das qualifies for the women’s 400m semi-finals after finishing third in her heat with a timing of 52.11! The winner of the heat, Nigeria’s Yinka Ajayi, clocked 51.71. The semi-finals will be held on Tuesday.

6.20 am: India’s Srihari Nataraj fails to qualify for the Men’s 200m Backstroke Final after finishing 7th in his heat with a timing of 2:04.75. The winner of the heat, South Africa’s Martin Binedell, clocked 1:57.92.

6.15 am: India’s Pardeep Singh finishes the Snatch half of the men’s 105 kg weightlifting final with a highest successful lift of 152 kg, putting him in second spot (with two other lifters) behind Samoa’s Sanele Mao (154 kg). Pardeep has given himself a great chance to end up on the podium.

6.10 am: One of India’s medal hopes from the track and field event, high jumper Tejaswin Shankar will start his campaign with a jump of 2.10m. The qualification mark for the finals has been set at 2.27m.

6.05 am: India’s Poovamma Raju finishes 5th in her women’s 400m first-round heat and fails to directly qualify for the semis. She still has a chance, as the next four fastest across five heats will qualify.

5.55 am: Om Mitharval and Jitu Rai have both qualified for the men’s 10m Air Pistol final, with the former equalling the CWG qualification record! Great stuff from the Indian shooters! The final will begin at 7.30 am IST.

5.50 am: Sharath Kamal brings India level in the table tennis men’s team semi-final by beating Shao Feng Ethan Poh in straight games! Easy as you like it! India 1-1 Singapore. Next up, the doubles.

5.40 am: Om Mitharval has equalled his compatriot Omkar Singh’s Commonwealth Games qualification record in the men’s 10m Air Pistol by shooting 584. Mitharval is certain to top the table in qualification, while Jitu Rai is also moments away from progressing to the final.

5.30 am: India are down 0-1 to Singapore in the table tennis men’s team semis as Harmeet Desai loses to Ning Gao in straight games. Next up, Sharath Kamal Achanta vs Shao Feng Ethan Poh.

5.20 am: India’s Om Mitharval is on fire in the men’s 10m Air Pistol Qualification, shooting a 96, 96, 98 and 99 in the first four of six rounds. He’s on top of the table so far! Jitu Rai isn’t very far behind in 3rd.

5.15 am: In table tennis, India’s Harmeet Desai, ranked 74th in the world, has dropped the first two games against Singapore’s world No 47 Ning Gao in the first singles match of the men’s team semi-finals.

5.10 am: The men’s 105 kg weightlifting final is about to begin, where India’s Pardeep Singh has a good chance of ending up on the podium. He’s got Samoa’s Sanele Mao, Kiribati’s David Katoatau, and Ghana’s Richmond Osarfo as the main competition for the medals.

4.55 am: The table tennis men’s team semi-final is about to begin, where India take on Singapore. Sharath Kamal and Co only need to look towards the Indian women’s team, who on Sunday caused one of the biggest upsets in the sport by beating Singapore 3-1 in the final to win an unprecedented gold.

4.45 am: India’s Jitu Rai and Om Mitharval are in the top three after the first of six series in the 10m Air Pistol qualification. In Skeet, Sheeraz Sheikh and Smit Singh are outside the qualification spots after the first two of five rounds.

4.25 am: Got your coffee? Because the day’s action is about to begin with shooting and lawn bowls at 4.30 am IST. We’ve got the men’s Skeet and 10m Air Pistol qualification in shooting, and the women’s pairs in lawn bowls.

4 am: Good morning and welcome to The Field’s live blog for day five of the 2018 Commonwealth Games at Gold Coast, Australia, where more medals lie in store for India on Monday.

After an untroubled run to the final, a big test awaits the Indian badminton team as Saina Nehwal, K Srikanth and Co take on the second seeds Malaysia, led by the inimitable Lee Chong Wei in the final.

Tejaswin Shankar, the exciting young athlete, will start his high jump campaign in the qualification round. Muhammad Anas will compete in the 400m semi-final, while Tejinder Singh will go for the podium in the shot-put final.

Among the shooters, Apurvi Chandela and Mehuli Ghosh will be in action in the women’s 10m Air Rifle. The heavyweights in weightlifting will also be competing, looking to add to the rich haul of medals bagged by their compatriots from the sport.

Here is the entire Day 5 schedule for India.

If you missed the action on Day 4, when India won as many as six medals, here is a recap.