Squash World Cup 2023 Semi-Final LIVE: India vs Malaysia live updates & commentary

Thanks for joining us tonight. That's all we had for you. It was a great tournament from India's perspective until that semi-final loss. Do follow Sportskeeda for all the live updates from world sports.

India went down to Malaysia in the semi-final of the Squash World Cup on Friday, June 16, at the Express Avenue Mall in Chennai. Abhay Singh played a hard-fought game against Ong Sai Hung only to lose by a whisker with a 2-3 margin. Senior Indian player Joshna Chinappa lost momentum in the first couple of games as Aira Azman was clinical against her. Despite pulling the third set back, Joshna lost the fourth as India were 0-2 down.

It was all left to Saurav Ghoshal to live up to the expectations and help India bridge the gap. However, an injury to Ghoshal in the middle of the game allowed his opponent Darren Pragasm to capitalise and seal it 3-1. Malaysia's unassailable 3-0 lead meant there wasn't any requirement for the fourth game.

GAME 4: Darren Pragasm 7-5 Saurav Ghosal (3-1)

It's all over for India! Darren Pragasm has the last laugh once again as he knocks India out of the Squash World Cup 2023. Fans leave the arena with sad faces!

GAME 4: Darren Pragasm 6-5 Saurav Ghosal

Match Ball for Darren Pragasm!

GAME 4: Darren Pragasm 4-4 Saurav Ghosal

Darren Pragasm gets two more points to his name before Saurav Ghosal picks up a point to level the game score at 4-4. Fans look up to Saurav with a lot of hopes!

GAME 4: Darren Pragasm 2-3 Saurav Ghosal

Saurav Ghosal has a one-point lead agaisnt Darren Pragasm. The Malaysian player is not far behind Saurav and has the upper hand considering his performances in the first 3 games today.

GAME 4: Darren Pragasm 0-2 Saurav Ghosal

Saurav Ghosal takes a much-needed lead for India with a couple of points in the 4th game. If Saurav Ghosal loses this game, it'll be the end of India's campaign at the Squash World Cup 2023.

GAME 3: Darren Pragasm 7-6 Saurav Ghosal (2-1)

Darren Pragasm and Saurav Ghosal bag a point each to make it 6 all. However, Darren Pragasm had the last laugh as he picked the final point in the game to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

GAME 3: Darren Pragasm 5-5 Saurav Ghosal

Both players are moving at a steady rate with five points each in the 3rd game. Fans are cheering for Saurav Ghosal as he's India's last hope of the day.

GAME 3: Darren Pragasm 3-3 Saurav Ghosal

The game is even-steven with both players having three points each. A tough match is on the cards for Saurav Ghosal as Darren is giving him a run for his money. All prayers with the Saurav as fans look for a victory from the Indian.

GAME 3: Darren Pragasm 2-1 Saurav Ghosal

Malaysia's Darren Pragasm has a one-point lead in the 3rd game. However, Saurav Ghosal has all the Indian fans backing him. A huge crowd is cheering for our Indian athlete at the Squash World Cup 2023 in Chennai.

GAME 2: Darren Pragasm 2-7 Saurav Ghosal (1-1)

1-1! Saurav Ghosal has lived up to his fans' expectations and won the game 2-7 to make the match scores levelled at 1-1. The Indian players needs two more victories to take his side one step closer to the final.

GAME 2: Darren Pragasm 1-5 Saurav Ghosal

Saurav Ghosal has extended his lead by a couple more points and is going strong in this game. Just two points away from winning the game and levelling scores.

GAME 2: Darren Pragasm 1-3 Saurav Ghosal

Saurav Ghosal has the lead in the 2nd game by a couple of points and will look to hold onto his lead and ensure he wins this match by a huge margin.

GAME 1: Darren Pragasm 7-5 Saurav Ghosal (1-0)

Darren Pragasm takes the first game home. He wins the game 7-5 and takes a 1-0 lead in the match.

India still have a chance to keep their hopes alive. Saurav Ghosal needs to win the next three games in a row and all eyes will be on the Indian to get his side past the victory line.

GAME 1: Darren Pragasm 6-4 Saurav Ghosal

Darren Pragasm is back in the game with four consecutive points. It's the game ball for the Malaysian player is he is just a point away from winning the match. Saurav needs to stop him to ensure India stays alive in the race for the final.

GAME 1: Darren Pragasm 2-4 Saurav Ghosal

Saurav Ghosal extends his lead by a couple of points. He bags two more points and continues to have the upper hand in the game. Taking his ranking into consideration, he is surely the favourite to win this game.

GAME 1: Darren Pragasm 1-2 Saurav Ghosal

141st-ranked Darren Pragasm started game 1 on a positive note against 19th-ranked Saurav Ghosal. However, the Indian player bounced back and picked up a couple of points, including a stroke to take the lead.

MATCH 3 - Darren Pragasm vs Saurav Ghosal

UP NEXT!
Saurav Ghosal will be up against Darren Pragasm in a must-win game to ensure India are alive in the race. A loss for Saurav against Darren will see India end their campaign in the semi-finals.

GAME 4: Aira Azman 7-4 Joshna Chinappa (3-1)

Joshna lost her momentum as Aira pounced on the decisions awarded to her. Aira sealed three points in a row before claiming the winner by 7-4 and won game 2 by 7-4. India have now lost both their matches and need to win the remaining matches to contend for the final.

GAME 4: Aira Azman 5-3 Joshna Chinappa (2-1)

A furious Joshna Chinappa picked two quick points before clenching her fists in vigour with a lot of emotions panning out on her face. She levelled at 3-3.

GAME 4: Aira Azman 2-1 Joshna Chinappa (2-1)

India gets a stroke as Joshna was blocked on her way by Aira. The Malaysian made two quick points on her way to make it 2-1.

GAME 3: Aira Azman 5-7 Joshna Chinappa (2-1)

Joshna Chinappa bounced back to keep the game alive with a 7-5 thriller. The star Indian player was in no mood to concede the advantage to her Malaysian counterpart. Although Aira picked three points in a row, Joshna remained calm to seal the last two points and make it 1-2.

GAME 3: Aira Azman 5-5 Joshna Chinappa (2-0)

A big rally from the two players in the middle and it was Aira's point to bag as the Malaysian leveled the scores at 5-5.

GAME 3: Aira Azman 2-5 Joshna Chinappa (2-0)

Joshna finds a great shot and Aira missed the counter as the Indian pick three points in a row.

GAME 3: Aira Azman 2-2 Joshna Chinappa (2-0)

Joshna concedes a stroke to contact to Malaysia as Aira level the points at 2-2.

GAME 3: Aira Azman 1-2 Joshna Chinappa (2-0)

Joshna picks the first two points of the game to make it 2-0 in a must-win game.

GAME 2: Aira Azman 7-3 Joshna Chinappa (2-0)

Aira Azman continued to put Joshna under the pump as the Malaysian placed her shots well below the wall to take a 5-1 lead. The Indian clawed her way back with two consecutive points but Aira ensured her opponent didn't make a comeback in the game as she sealed her second straight game with 7-3. Joshna needs to win the remaining three games to pull off this game.

GAME 1: Aira Azman 7-3 Joshna Chinappa (1-0)

Aira Azman won the first game 7-3 to put India under pressure. Although Joshna started with the first point, the Malaysian stormed well to keep pace. Joshna lost momentum after a couple of decisions went against her favour. Malaysia are ahead of India now.

GAME 1: Aira Azman 5-3 Joshna Chinappa

Joshna Chinappa started the game with a perfect shot to win the point before Aira claimed four points to take the lead. Joshna bridged the gap with a great low shot.

MATCH 2: Joshna Chinappa vs Aira Azman

Former World No.10 Joshna Chinappa has a big task after Abhay Singh lost the first game. Joshna will have to win in order to shift the momentum towards India in the semi-final. Both the players warm-up and the match will start in just few minutes.

GAME 5: Ong Sai Hung 7-6 Abhay Singh (3-2)

Heartbreak for India in the semi-final match of the Squash World Cup 2023. Abhay Singh loses to Ong Sai Hung 7-6 in the 5th game. The Malaysian player bagged a couple of points and hands his side a 1-0 lead in the semi-final.

GAME 5: Ong Sai Hung 5-6 Abhay Singh

Abhay Singh gets the lead and is just one point away from winning the 5th game as well as the match. He'll have to avoid errors to ensure a win for him!

GAME 5: Ong Sai Hung 4-4 Abhay Singh

Things are getting tense once again as the points are levelled between Ong Sai Hung and Abhay Singh. It could be anyone's game again once but the decider is creating tense among players as well as fans.

GAME 5: Ong Sai Hung 2-1 Abhay Singh

Ong Sai Hung has started on a positive note with a couple of points to his name, while Abhay Singh has managed a single point so far.

GAME 5: Ong Sai Hung 0-0 Abhay Singh

Looks like we're in for a nail-biting finish with the match going to the decider. Can Abhay Singh win this match and hand a lead to India in the tie or is the match going Malaysia's way?

GAME 4: Ong Sai Hung 7-1 Abhay Singh (2-2)

Ong Sai Hung makes a perfect comeback after losing 1-7 in the previous game. He has won the 4th game 7-1, leaving no stone unturned. It'll be down to the last game as both Ong Sai Hung and Abhay Singh look for a victory.

GAME 4: Ong Sai Hung 2-0 Abhay Singh

Ong Sai Hung has delivered for his country when it matters the most. He has started the game with a couple of points and will look to build on from here. Abhay Singh looks a bit tensed, having dropped points early on in the game.

GAME 3: Ong Sai Hung 1-7 Abhay Singh (1-2)

Abhay Singh outplayed Malaysia's Ong Sai Hung to win the third game 1-7. The Malaysian player managed to pick up only a single point in this game. Abhay surely deserved to win this game.

The Indian player will look to bag a victory by winning the 4th game. Meanwhile, Ong Sai Hung has a must-win situation ahead of him to ensure he takes the match into the final game.

GAME 3: Ong Sai Hung 1-5 Abhay Singh

Ong Sai Hung has been nowhere close to Abhay Singh in this game. He is just a couple of points away from winning his 2nd game in this semi-final match.

GAME 3: Ong Sai Hung 0-3 Abhay Singh

Abhay Singh has started the game on a positive note once again. However, Ong Sai Hung is known to produce comebacks and could bounce back in this game. Singh has the upper hand for now and it won't be a surprise if he wins this game.

GAME 2: Ong Sai Hung 5-7 Abhay Singh (1-1)

Abhay Singh's clever moves help him bag the last couple of points and the game too. With this win, both players have won a game each and will have their eyes set on the 3rd game.

Winning the 3rd game would give either of the players an upper hand in the match and will boost their morale too.

GAME 2: Ong Sai Hung 5-5 Abhay Singh

The points are levelled between Ong Sai Hung and Abhay Singh with both players having five points each.

GAME 2: Ong Sai Hung 3-5 Abhay Singh

Abhay Singh has taken a couple of points lead. He'll have to hold onto the lead and ensure he wins this game to keep himself alive in the race. A tough battle between both players and it could be anyone's game.

GAME 2: Ong Sai Hung 2-2 Abhay Singh

The second game started with both players going neck to neck and fighting hard for every single point. Abhay Singh is higher-ranked in the World Ranking and is surely the favourite. However, once cannot rule out 149th-ranked Ong Sai Hung so easily.

GAME 1: Ong Sai Hung 7-4 Abhay Singh (1-0)

Ong Sai Hung wins the first game and takes a 1-0 lead in the match. Abhay Singh will have a tough task ahead and will have to give his best shot. In an interview last night, Ong Sai Hung stated that he's a slow starter and picks up slowly and come's back from behind to win games. The Malaysian player has yet done it once again.

GAME 1: Ong Sai Hung 6-4 Abhay Singh

The game is slipping out of India's hands as Ong Sai Hung is just a point away from winning the game and taking a 1-0 lead from five matches. Abhay Singh needs a miracle to stay alive in this game.

GAME 1: Ong Sai Hung 3-4 Abhay Singh

Some good fighting spirit was shown by Abhay Singh as the Indian player picks three points in a row to take the lead against Ong Sai Hun. He needs to keep up the momentum to keep the lead against the Malaysian.

GAME 1: Ong Sai Hung 3-1 Abhay Singh

India's Abhay Singh started well picking up the first point in the game. However, Malaysia's Ong Sai Hun bounced back and bagged three points to take the lead. The Indian player is behind by a couple of points and will have to catch up before it gets too late.

Ong Sai Hung to serve. India's Abhay Singh to receive in the first game. We're underway!