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India's Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran won the silver medal in the men's doubles final at the ongoing Commonwealth Games 2022 (CWG 2022) in Birmingham on Saturday, August 7.
The Indian duo lost to Paul Drinkhall and Liam Pitchford of England 11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-7, 4-11 in the gold medal match.
Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan started on a rousing note, being at their best in the first game as they took an early lead in the contest. The Indian duo were in control of their game and did not allow their opponents to settle in.
The second game of the match saw both Drinkhall and Pitchford upping the ante and winning it by the same margin they lost the first.
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The England duo got the momentum they needed and reduced the Indians to mere pedestrians in the third game, winning 11-3 and taking a decisive lead in the match.
Achanta Sharath Kamal, Sathiyan force decider
Pushed to the wall and needed a win in the fourth game to stay alive, Achanta Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran brought out their best game as they dished out aggressive shots consistently. Sharath and Sathiyan forced the decider, winning the fourth game 11-7.
With both India and England locked at 2-2, the battle for supremacy turned more interesting. The decider was fought tooth and nail as both teams were in no mood to relent from the start.
Drinkhall and Pitchford seized on the initiative as the Indians were under the pump due to the pressure. With swift moves and good placement, the England duo raced away to the lead and won the decider 11-4.
Sreeja Akula goes down fighting
Sreeja Akula also suffered a defeat in the closely-fought encounter against Australia's Yangzi Liu in the women's singles bronze medal match.
The youngster won the first game after which the Aussie took charge and never allowed the Indian paddler the lead in the match.
The 4-3 defeat meant she ended the women's singles category, ranked fourth in this edition of the Commonwealth Games.
Also read: CWG 2022: India’s javelin thrower Annu Rani digs deep into her reserve to earn bronze in Birmingham
