Harmeet Desai and Sanil Shetty started their campaign by playing their first game in the round of 16. They defeated Northern Island’s Paul McCreery/Ashley Robinson 3-0, with a score line of 11-4, 12-10, 11-9. 

In the Quarterfinals, they faced off with the Australian pair of Heming Hu/Xin Yan 3-1, with scores of 11-8, 10-12, 12-10, 11-8. They were one of the top contenders for the medals and were making their presence felt. 

They crossed paths with England’s Liam Pitchford/Paul Drinkhall in the Semis and lost their footing. They were dominated by the English duo and lost the game 3-0 (11-7, 13-11, 13-11).

However, they had another chance to redeem their campaign and ensure that they did not return home, empty handed, when they battled with the Singaporean duo of Koen En Yew Pang/Ethan Feng Shao Poh.

Dominating from the word go, Sanil and Harmeet brought their A-game to the table, taking the first two games 11-5 and 11-6. Harmeet’s inch-perfect backhand play found no return from the Singaporean pair, and they quickly accumulated points in the final game. Only momentarily did it look like their opponents were staging a comeback, as they brought the game to a deuce, but that too was quashed as the pair strolled to victory with very decisive shot-selections to finish it off 12-10.

They decimated their opponents 3-0 and lay claim to the Bronze Medal, adding grandeur to India’s already successful campaign in Table Tennis at the Commonwealth Games. 

Sharath, Sathiyan settle for Silver in a crunch final

Sharath Kamal and Sathiyan Gnanasekaran overcame Sri Lankan opponents Buwaneka Mudiyanselage Jayasingha/Imesh Ranasingha in the round of 16 with a score of 11-3, 11-4, 12-10. 

They dominated England’s David McBath/Samuel Walker 3-0 with a score line of 11-7, 11-8, 12-10. 

In the Semis, they faced off with Singapore’s Koen En Yew Pang/Ethan Feng Shao Poh and prevailed 3-1, with a score of 7-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-3. 

Sharath and Sathiyan went into the Final with the odds against them but put on a determined fight after losing the first game to win the next two in a stylish manner. This spurred on the Englishmen and they stormed the fourth game 11-6 to ensure that the Match was decided in the final Game.

Pitchford and Drinkhall raced to a lead and looked set to take the match, but a late rally by the Indian contingent saw that victory did not come easily to the eventual champions. The game kept the audiences on the edge of their seats, but India left it a little too late and eventually turned up second best. They lost the Final 2-3 with a score of 5-11, 12-10, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11.

With this victory following Manika Batra’s Gold and Harmeet/ Sanil’s Bronze in the preceding game, India was assured of a healthy medal return in the Table Tennis competitions.