Commonwealth Games 2018 Day 7 Highlights: Ponnappa, Rankireddy beat England, reach Round of 16 in Badminton Mixed Doubles

16:55 Hima Das will represent India in the Women's 400m Final at 5:15 pm (IST).

16:38 India beats England 4-3 in the final Hockey Pool B match.

16:34 Men's Hockey Pool B Match: India 4-3 England in the 4th Period.

16:30 Badminton: India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwik Rankireddy have beaten England's Ben Lane and Jessica Pugh 2-0 (21-17, 21-16) in Mixed Doubles Round of 32.

16:08 Badminton: India's Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwik Rankireddy are currently leading 1-0 against England in Mixed Doubles Round of 32.

15:58 3rd Period: India 1-1 England, in the final Pool B Hockey match.

15:42 Shuttlers take rampaging form to singles, win easy in opening matches of CWG

​​Fit-again top seed P V Sindhu led the charge as Indian shuttlers made short work of their respective rivals to enter pre-quarterfinals of the singles competition in the Commonwealth Games here today.

Sindhu, who sat out of the gold-winning team campaign because of an ankle injury, took just 18 minutes to oust Fiji's Andra Whiteside 21-6 21-3 in her first match of the competition.

"It has been pretty easy today. I hope that it continues tomorrow. I am better and totally fine, so it is really exciting," she said and thanked the crowd for making her feel at home in a foreign land with its vociferous support.

15:40 Hockey | At 29' India maintain a solid defensive shape to deny the English offence seeking a way through.

15:39 Hockey | At 27' Vivek Sagar shows his composure as he delivers a cross into the circle while under pressure.

15:34 Hockey | At 24' Rupinder Pal Singh pulls off a great tackle to stop the English attack.

15:28 Hockey | At 18' Sreejesh makes a brilliant save to stop the shot from the set-piece.

15:27 Hockey | In India vs England men's hockey, England makes the best of their opportunity to steer a shot into goal at 17 minute.

15:23 Athletics | Indian athletes Nayana James and Nellickal V Neena failed to touch the qualifying mark of 6.60 metres in women's long jump qualifying round. They both have extended their stay in the competition as they were in the top 12. Finals will be held tomorrow.

15:03 Hockey | India vs England men's hockey in Pool B starts. 

14:59 Badminton | Indian badminton player H S Prannoy makes it to the last-16 of men's singles event.

14:54 Hockey | India vs England men's hockey is scheduled to begin at 3 pm. Both teams are on 7 points; having played 3, won 2 and drawn 1.

14:52 Athletics | Women's long jump qualifying rounds will begin shortly. India's Nayana James and Nellickal V Neena will be performing to qualify the set mark of 6.60 metres. Neena's personal best is at 6.66 and Nayana has 6.55 as hers.

14:30Badminton | Indian badminton player H S Prannoy is in action against Mauritius' Christopher Jean Paul in men's singles round of 32. Prannoy leads with 21-14 in game 1.

14:28 Boxing | England's Lisa Whiteside beats India's Pinki Rani. The three-round bout ended in Whiteside's favour via a split 3-2 decision from the judges.

14:16 Badminton | Indian badminton player Madhurika Patkar leads with a margin of 3 points in women's round of 32 against Trinidad and Tobago's Rheann Chung.

14:11 Badminton | Indian badminton player P V Sindhu wins two games 21-6, 21-3 against Fiji's Andra Whiteside in women's singles round of 32.

13:55 Lawn Bowl | Indian men's team wins four sectional play, section B, round 3, match 1.

13:52 Squash | Indian players
Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik are leading 2-0 against Malta's Dianne Kellas and Colette Sultana in women's doubles pool C.

13:48 Badminton | Indian badminton players Madhurika Patkar and Ruthvika Gadde are in action in separate women's singles round of 32. Patkar is neck-to-neck with Trinidad and Tobago's Rheann Chung, while Gadde leads with a margin of 7 in game 1.

13:39 Badminton | Indian badminton player Srikanth Kidambi wins game 2 (19-9) against Mauritius' Aatish Lubah in men's singles round of 32.

13:36 Vikas Krishan to go ahead with long-delayed pro plan this year

One of India's most decorated amateur boxers, Vikas Krishan today said he will turn professional by the end of this year, putting into action a plan he originally wanted to implement after the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Speaking to PTI after confirming his maiden Commonwealth Games medal by advancing to the semifinals here, Vikas said he is now fully prepared to go ahead with his long-held ambition.

"I have made up my mind, I am turning professional at the end of this year. I will be holding discussions with the federation and I am hopeful that they would be supportive. I don't wan to do anything which they resent," the middle-weight 75kg category boxer said.

The 25-year-old Haryana-boxer has had an accomplished career, which includes an Asian Games gold medal, a world championships bronze medal, Asian Championships silver and bronze and a quarterfinal finish at the Olympics.

He had spoken about turning professional after the Rio Games but changed his plans when he could not secure a medal. "This time, I am quite sure about it. I think this is right time because Olympics is no longer off-limits for professional boxers and that takes care of my dream of an Olympic medal. I just hope the federation supports me the way it has always supported me," he said.

13:33 Ankur Mittal bags bronze as shooters continue good run

Ankur Mittal added to the Indian shooting contingent's medal rush by winning a bronze in the men's double trap event of the 21st Commonwealth Games here today.

Mittal finished third on the podium after scoring 53 in the finals at the Belmont Shooting Centre.

Mohammed Asab, the other Indian shooter in the six-man finals, finished in the fourth position, a climbdown from the bronze medal he won in Glasgow four years ago. Scotland's David Mcmath claimed the gold medal with a Games record 74, while the silver went to Tim Kneale (70) of Isle of Man.

The experienced James Willett was the first to be eliminated. Mittal, the 26-year-old, who won silver medal in the World Championships in Moscow last year besides a silver and gold in the ISSF World Cups, rallied to finish fifth with 133 in the qualifying. Mittal had to be contend with a fifth-place finish in the 2014 Games. Asab shot 137 to get into a shoot-off with McMath in the qualification before finishing second.

13:28 Badminton | Indian badminton player Srikanth Kidambi leads in the game 1 (21-13) against Mauritius' Aatish Lubah.

13:02 Badminton | Nehwal widens her lead in the game 2 by 20 points in women's single R32.

13:00 Badminton | Saina Nehwal wins the first game 21-3. The Indian shuttler continues to lead in the second of the three games.

12:53 Badminton | The Indian shuttler takes a massive 6-0 lead in the opening game. Nehwal is also the second seed in this tournament.

12:51 Badminton | Indian badminton player Saina Nehwal is in action against South Africa's Elsie de Villers in women's single round of 32.

12:27 Table Tennis | Indian players Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra wins against Malaysia's Ying Ho and Feng Chee Leong by 3-0 in mixed doubles round of 32.

12:24 Table Tennis | Indian players
Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra are leading in mixed doubles round of 32 against Malaysia's Ying Ho and Feng Chee Leong. The score is 2-0 after Game 3.

In another mixed doubles match, Indian table tennis players Shankar Sanil Shetty and Madhurika Patkar defeats Sri Lanka's team by 3-0.

11:57 Ankur Mittal wins bronze in men's double trap finals

Indian shooter Ankur Mittal won a bronze medal in men's double trap finals at the Commonwealth Games 2018. Mittal's victory added another medal to India's kitty.

11:49 Shooting | Ankur Mittal in the top three in men's double trap finals. All eyes on Mittal in the final round to bag another medal for India.

11:43 Shooting | India’s Asab Mohammed is eliminated after 50 shots with a score of 43 (50) in men's double trap finals. Ankur Mittal moves to second with a score of 48 in Double Trap Men's Finals .

11:36 Shooting | India's Ashad Mohd and Ankur Mittal are in action. Australia’s James Willett gets eliminated in the first round in his home turf.

11:16 Shooter Shreyasi Singh claims gold to swell India's medals tally

Shreyasi Singh held her nerve and produced some excellent shooting to win the women's double trap gold medal in the 21st Commonwealth Games here today.

Shreyasi shot 96 in the finals and beat Australia's Emma Cox 2 shots to 1 in the shoot-off at Belmont Shooting Centre.

The other Indian contender in the field, Varsha Varman finished fourth with 86.

The bronze medal went to Scotland's Linda Pearson who shot 87 to finish a point ahead of Varsha, who held the third place for a while.

The 26-year-old Shreyasi, thus, improved on her silver medal-winning effort at the Glasgow Games four years ago.

11:07  Table Tennis | Indian players Sharath Achanta and Mouma Das wins mixed doubles round of 32 against Sri Lanka's  Rohan Sirisena and Ishara Madurangi.

10:59Boxing | In men's 75kg Quarterfinal 1, India's Vikas Krishan qualifies to the semi-finals. Krishan qualified with 5-0 verdict after defeating Zambia's Benny Muziyo.

10:49 Shooter Shreyasi Singh bags India's 12th gold

Shreyasi Singh wins the gold medal in the women's double trap event. She beat Australia's Emma Cox in the shootout.

10:28 Boxing | India's Vikas Krishan Yadav is in action against Zambia's Benny Muziyo in Men's 75kg quarter-finals.

10:16 Here's a quick recap of the events at the Commonwealth Games so far:

> Shooter Om Mitharval wins a bronze medal in men's 50 metres pistol event.

> The indomitable M C Mary Kom (48kg) stormed into the finals to remain well on course to claim India's first Commonwealth Games gold in women's boxing, here today. The Olympic bronze-medallist Indian will square off against Northern Ireland's Kristina O'Hara in the final. O'Hara, a carer at a nursing home in her country, defeated 19-year-old New Zealander Tasmyn Benny in the semifinals.

> Among the men, debutant Gaurav Solanki (52kg) made the semifinals to be assured of a medal. Army boxer Solanki dodged a tricky opponent in Papua New Guinea's Charles Keama in hs quarterfinal bout. The 21-year-old managed to evade several attempts at head-butts by his rival in a bout he eventually claimed 5-0.

> Another Indian veteran L Sarita Devi (60kg) failed to secure a medal after going down to Australia's Anja Stridsman.

> Indian shooters Ashab Mohd and Ankur Mittal qualify for finals in men's double trap.

> India's top paddlers, including the duo of Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, comfortably progressed to the round of 16 doubles table tennis competition of the 21st Commonwealth Games

10:10 Top Indian paddlers progress to doubles pre-quarters

India's top paddlers, including the duo of Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, comfortably progressed to the round of 16 doubles table tennis competition of the 21st Commonwealth Games here today.
Sharath and Sathiyan thrashed Kiribati duo Tauramoa Miita and Nooa Takooa 3-0.
The Indian pair had no problems against their inexperienced opponents, convincing clinching the affair 11-2 11-5 11-6.
Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shankar Shetty defeated Guyana's Shemar Britton and Christopher Franklin 11-6 11-5 11-7 in another men's doubles round of 32 match.
Pooja Sahasrabudhe and Suthirtha Mukherjee got the better of Mauritius's Ruqayyah Kinoo and Sanjana Ramasawmy 11-3 11-4 11-4 in the women's doubles round of 32.

09:42 Shooting |Indian shooters Ashab Mohd and Ankur Mittal qualify for finals in men's double trap.

09:38 Indian boxer Gaurav Solanki enters 52kg semi-final 

Indian boxer Gaurav Solanki enters 52kg semi-final after defeating Papua New Guinea's Charles Keama in men's 52kg Quarterfinal 1. Solanki wins the bout on a unanimous points verdict. Solanki's entry in semi-final assures India of another medal at the Commonwealth Games 2018.

09:30 India's Day 7 schedule at the 21st Commonwealth Games

                 HOCKEY

Men Pool B

India   vs  England    (15:00   IST)

          ATHLETICS

Women's 400m Final     (17:15    IST)

Hima Das

Women's Long Jump Qualifying Round - Group A

Nellickal V. Neena          (14:30   IST)

Women's Long Jump Qualifying Round - Group B

Nayana James                                  (14:30    IST)

Men's High Jump Final

Tejaswin Shankar                            (15:35    IST)

             BOXING

Women's 45-48kg Semifinal 1

MC Mary KOM vs Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku        (7:32   IST)

Women's 60kg Quarterfinal 1

Sarita Devi vs Australia's Anja Stridsman       (8:02     IST)

Men's 52kg Quarterfinal 1

Gaurav Solanki vs Papua New Guinea's Charles Keama   (9:05    IST)

Men's 75kg Quarterfinal 1

Vikas Krishnan vs Zambia's Benny Muziyo            (11:31    IST)

Women's 51kg Quarterfinal 2

Pinki Rani vs England's Lisa Whiteside    (14:02   IST)

Men's 60kg Quarterfinal 1

Manish Kaushik   vs   England's Calum French     (15:35    IST)

           SQUASH

Men's Doubles

Vikram Malhotra and Ramit Tandon vs Wales' Peter Creed and Joel Makin (6:30 pm IST)

Women's Doubles

Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal (8pm IST) vs Wales' Tesni Evans and Deon Saffery ; Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal vs Dianne Kellas & Colette Sultana (Malta)  (13:30 pm IST)

Mixed Doubles

Joshna Chinappa & Harinder Pal Sandhu vs Lisa Aitken & Kevin Moran (Scotland) (15:45 pm IST)

                TABLE TENNIS

Men's Doubles Round of 32

Harmeet Desai & Sanil Shetty vs Shemar Britton & Christopher Franklin (Guyana,

8: 30 am IST)

Sharath Kamal & G Sathiyan vs Tauramoa Miita & Nooa Takooa (Kiribati) (7:55 am IST)

Women's Doubles

Sutirtha Mukherjee & Pooja Sahasrabudhe vs Kinoo Ruqayyah & Sanjana Alix Ramasawmy (7:20 am)

Mixed Doubles Round of 32

Pooja Sahasrabudhe & Harmeet Desai vs TBD   (9:05 am   IST)

Sharath Kamal & Mouma Das vs TBD

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Manika Batra                           (12:00    IST)

Sanil Shetty & Madhurika Patkar vs TBD                (12:00 IST)

Men's Singles Round of 64

Harmeet Desai vs TBD

Sharath Kamal vs TBD

G Sathiyan vs TBD  (all matches 12:45 am IST)

Women's Singles Round of 32

Madhurika Patkar vs TBD             (13:30 pm    IST)

Manika Batra vs TBD (14:15 pm IST)

Mouma Das vs TBD (14:15 pm IST)

                 BADMINTON

Women's Singles Round of 32

Saina Nehwal vs Elsie De Villiers (SA)

PV Sindhu vs Andra Whiteside (SA)

Ruthvika Gadde  vs  Grace Atipaka (Ghana)

(all matches from 13:45 pm IST)

Men's Singles Round of 32

Srikanth Kidambi vs Aatish Lubah (Mauritius)

HS Prannoy vs Christopher Jean Paul (Mauritius)

Mixed Doubles

Round of 32

Ashwini Ponnappa & Satwik Rankireddy vs Ben Lane & Jessica Pugh (Eng)

Pranaav Chopra and N Sikki Reddy  vs Burty Molia and Karyn Gibson (Fiji).

09:23 Mary Kom advances to final of 48kg with 5-0 verdict

Indian boxing legend M C Mary Kom (48kg) advanced to the Commonwealth Games final with a comprehensive triumph over Sri Lanka's Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwak here today.

It was a battle of veterans as 35-year-old Mary Kom took on the 39-year-old Dilrukshi. Mary Kom, also a sitting Rajya Sabha MP in India, prevailed 5-0 in a dull contest where clean punches were few and far. Despite the height advantage Koddithuwak struggled to connect for most part. She picked up pace in the final three minutes but Mary Kom drew from her own well of experience to thwart her.

The five-time world champion and Olympic bronze-medallist Indian is competing in her maiden CWG.

09:18 Young Mitharval wins his second bronze, earns podium in 50m pistol

Indian shooter Om Prakash Mitharval settled for the bronze medal in the men's 50m pistol event but the fancied Jitu Rai finished a disappointing 8th at the Commonwealth Games here today.

The young Mitharval, who has also a bronze in the 10m air pistol event two days ago, shot 201.1 to finish third in the eight-man finals at Belmont Shooting Centre.

Host nation Australia's Daniel Repacholi bagged the gold medal in the event with a Games record 227.2 while Shakil Ahmed of Bangladesh won the silver with 220.5.

Rai, gold medallist in 10m, was out of reckoning quickly, having managed 105.0 in what turned out to be a disappointing finals. After being placed sixth at the end of first round of stage 1, Mitharval jumped to the top spot with 93.7. The Indian maintained his lead with his next two shots but Repacholi went ahead by a point after to more attempts.

Mitharwal then found himself in the silver medal position with 148.3 following scores of 9.8 and 8.6, before a 10.2 and 10.0 placed him level with the home favourite. He maintained the second position as he raced to 186.3, ahead by three points over Ahmed. However, he could not continue the momentum and conceded lead in the following round with a 7.2 and 7.6, going down from gold to silver and finally settling for bronze.

09:09 All eyes are on Indian shooters Shreyasi Singh and Varsha Varman as the final round will begin shortly. Both the shooters are at the second and third position after the third round in women's double trap finals.

09:06 In the upcoming events, Indian boxer Gaurav Solanki will be competing against Papua New Guinea's Charles Keama in men's 52kg Quarterfinal 1.

08:56 Shooting | After three of the four rounds, Indian shooters Shreyasi Singh and Varsha Varman are in the second and third position in women's double trap finals.

08:48 Table Tennis | Indian table tennis players Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shankar Shetty win 3-0 against Guyana's Shemar Britton and  Christopher Franklin.

08:42 Squash | Indian squash players Joshna Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal Karthik win 2-1 against Wales' Tesni Evans and Deon Saffery in women's double pool C.

08:20 Boxing | Indian boxer Sarita Devi loses to Australia's Anja Stridsman in women's 60kg Quarterfinal 1.

08:15 Shooting | In women’s double trap finals, Indian shooter Shreyasi Singh is at the third position and Varsha Varman is at fourth after two of the three rounds.

08:11 Boxing | Indian boxer Sarita Devi is competing against Australia's Anja Stridsman in women's 60kg Quarterfinal 1. 

08:05 India's medal tally increases to 22

With Mitharval's victory in 50 metres pistol event, India's medal tally increases to 22.

Gold - 11

Silver - 4

Bronze - 7

08:00 Shooter Om Mitharval wins bronze medal in 50m pistol event

Shooter Om Mitharval wins a bronze medal in men's 50 metres pistol event. This is Mithraval's second medal at the Commonwealth Games 2018.

07:54 Shooting | Indian shooter Om Mitharval maintains second position in the men's 50 metre pistol event finals. Ritu Rai gets eliminated after round one.

07:48 Mary Kom qualifies for 45-48kg finals

Indian boxer Mary Kom defeats Sri Lanka’s Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku in 45-48kg semi-final bout and qualifies for finals.

07:41 Jitu Rai and Om Mitharval are now competing for medals in 50m pistol men's final.

07:31 Boxing | India's boxer Mary Kom will take on Mary Kom’s Sri Lanka’s Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku in 45-48kg semi-final bout shortly.

07:27 SQUASH | Indian squash pair of Vikram Malhotra and Ramit Tandon are taking on Wales' Peter Creed and Joel Makin in Men's Doubles Pool game. The Indian duo was leading 1-0 as the beat the Welsh pair 11-7 in the first game.

07:26 Shooting | After round 2, India shooters Shreyasi Singh and Varsha Varman slip to the third and fourth position in Women's double trap finals.

07:22 Table Tennis | In Table Tennis, India's Maitreyee Sarkar beats PNG's Vero Nime 11-2, 11-9, 11-2 in Women's TT6-10 Singles Group 1-Game 4. In Women's TT6-10 Singles Group 2-Game 4, India's Vaishnavi Sutar loses to Nigeria's Faith Obazuaye 0-11, 2-11, 2-11.

07:18 In men's double trap, India's Ashab Mohd is leading at 86 after third round and Ankur Mittal is at 5th position in the qualification round.

07:13 For India, today's highlight would be MC Mary Kom’s 45-48kg semi-final bout against Sri Lanka’s Anusha Dilrukshi Koddithuwakku.

07:10  Om Mitharval and Jitu Rai ​will be taking part in 50m pistol finals at 7:30 am. 

07:01 Indian shooters Om Mitharval and Jitu Rai have both qualified to reach the final of the 50m pistol event. Mitharval stood in the top position in the qualifying round with a total of 549 points while Jitu Rai scored a total of 542 points to stand in the 6th position in the qualifying round.

06:53 Shooting | Indian shooter Shreyasi Singh is leading in the women's double trap finals with 24 points, while Varsha Varman is following with 21 points at sixth position

06:40 Shooting | In men's double trap, India's Ashab Mohd is leading at 57 and Ankur Mittal is at 5th position in the qualification round.

06:34 The Indian pair — Lovely Choubey and Rupa Rani Tirkey — had beated Wales duo of Laura Daniels and Jessica Sims 20-16 in lawn bowls women's Pairs Sectional Play first round on Monday.

06:31 Indian women lawn bowl players Lovely Choubey and Rupa Rani Tirkey rolls another kitty to score 17, getting ahead of South Africa.

06:19 A close game in women's four sectional lawn bowl, South Africa gets ahead of India by 1 point.

06:14  India is leading in women's four sectional play with 15 points, while South Africa is following closely at 14 points.

06:10 Today is the seventh day of the Commonwealth Games 2018. After Heena Sidhu added another the third gold in India's kitty yesterday, the country's medals tally increased to 21.

06:03 Good morning readers, this blog will keep you posted about India's performance in the Commonwealth Games 2018.