CWG 2022: Defending champions India beat Singapore to win gold in men’s team table tennis

Defending champions India beat Singapore 3-1 to claim the elusive gold, once again, in table tennis men’s team event on Tuesday at the Commonwealth Games 2022.

It was India’s first medal in the sport at the CWG 2022 and second on Day 5 after the historic gold in Lawn Bowls, which took the nation’s medals tally to 11 – five gold, three silver and three bronze. Singapore hence had to be content with silver while England finished with the bronze medal after the team convincingly beat Nigeria 3-0.

The opening game of the doubles tie was pretty close with either side saving game points before India snatched it 13-11. But the Indian combination of Harmeet Desai and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran looked more efficient in the second game against Yong Izaac Quek and Yew En Koen Pang of Singapore as they convincingly went 2-0 up with a 11-7 win and purely dominated the third game winning it 11-5 in quick time.

When India last faced Singapore, in the group-stage tie last month at the CWG 2022, Koen Pang was put against Sharath Kamal and the youngster had put forth a great fight before the Indian used his experience at the crunch moment to script two sensational comebacks. But the 40-year-old failed to emulate the same when pitted against left-handed Zhe Yu Clarence Chew in the final.

The 26-year-old needed to punch above his eight to get Singapore back in the contest and he did exactly the same. After a quick 11-7 win in the opening game, Sharath Kamal managed to hold on and level proceedings, winning the second game 14-12.

However Chew completely bamboozled the Indian and made a statement of intent with his stunning 11-3 win in the third game in under seven minutes. India’s No.1 simply had no answers to the questions Chew posed as he helped Singapore level the contest 1-1 after taking the fourth game 11-9.

Koen Pang was instead drawn against Gnanasekaran in the second singles tie and the left-hander too threatened to run away with the opening game, but the Indian bounced back from 3-8 in supreme fashion to win the first game 12-10. Koen Pang however did not concede the lead.

In the second game, winning it 11-7, but Gnanasekaran did not err in the next two games as he won 11-7 and 11-4 respectively to once again put India ahead in the match. Desai, who was drawn against Chew in the third singles tie, wasted no time in wrapping up the contest as he defeated the Singaporean in straight games 11-8, 11-5, 11-6.

This is India’s third gold medal at the CWG in men’s team event having earlier won in 2010 and 2018.

Indian men’s team has been extremely dominant throughout the entire competition. They had stormed to the quarter-final after beating Barbados, Singapore and Northern Ireland by identical 3-0 margin in the group stage. And they maintained the scoreline in the quarter-final tie against Bangladesh and semi-final match against Nigeria to reach a second consecutive men’s team event final.