SHILLONG, FEB 6: National champion Manika Batra and the Indian women’s team breezed past Maldives and Pakistan in their opening matches of the table tennis team event of the 12th South Asian Games 2016 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Sports Hall on Saturday. India has thus moved into the semifinal stage of the team events.
The team comprising Batra, Madhurika Patkar and Pooja Sahasrabudhe swept aside the Maldivian trio of Jumana Fathimath, Mueena Mohamed and Rafa Nazim 3-0 without dropping a single game.
The Indian women then beat Pakistan 3-0, again without dropping a game, with a team comprising Mouma Das, K Shamini and Madhurika Patkar.
“I am very happy and everything is going to plan. Pakistan was one of the main contingents,” Indian coach Arup Basak said. Looking ahead to tomorrow, Basak added, “Another contingent, Sri Lanka, will be a little tough. Sri Lanka is a little better now, but we still think we have the best team.”
Sri Lanka and Nepal look to be the better teams on the other side of the draw. Both got past their first round opponents, Bangladesh and Afghanistan respectively, 3-0. The two teams then met in the second round, and this match proved to be the most competitive of the day.
Nabita Shrestha (Nepal) got past Ruvini Kannangura 3-2 in an enthralling see-saw encounter, but after that, the Lankans bagged the next three matches with ease to take the contest 3-1.
Sri Lanka is clubbed with Nepal, Bangladesh and Afghanistan in Group B. Group A consists of India, Pakistan and Maldives.
Round three actions will take place tomorrow from 10 am. Pakistan and Maldives will battle it out to see who progresses along with India from Group A, while Sri Lanka take on Afghanistan and Nepal play Bangladesh. The top two countries from each group will progress to the semifinals.-By Our Reporter
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