If Goa missed a medal in badminton on the opening day of the 37th National Games, the second day saw all hopes collapse at the Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Taleigao, on Friday.
Goa got hammered in the men’s and women’s sections.
Goa women, still recovering from the setback of a hard-fought 2-3 loss against Punjab, meekly surrendered against powerhouse Maharashtra 0-5. The men went down 1-4 against Assam, who secured a bronze.
Goa’s Sakshi Kurbhelgi faced a mammoth task against Maharashtra’s Pura Barve in the first match. The 23-year-old Pune girl dispatched Sakhi 21-14, 21-11 in only 26 minutes.
The home team needed some spark and Anura Prabhudesai was expected to put up a fight against her fancied rival, Shruti Mundada. To her credit, Anura pushed the 29-year-old Pune girl in the first game, but once the Goan lost 19-21, it was all over as Shruti ran away with a second set at 21-11.
“We could have done better, but Maharashtra is a strong team,” said Anura. “The first game was pretty close, and the match could have gone either way. We tried our best in doubles too, but our opponents were too good.”
With Anjani Kumari ruled out due to an injury on the opening day, Anura teamed up with Lydia Barretto to face doubles specialists, Ritika Thakar and Simran Singhi. It was a no contest as Ritika and Simran put up a show to score a 21-11, 21-10 victory.
“We could have used home support. The opponents made mistakes and came under pressure when we found support and cheering from team members here. Imagine what it would have been if the stadium was packed with locals. We lost to better players today,” said Lydia.
With the tie lost, Yasmin Sayed had little to prove, but a victory still eluded Goa as Saad Dharmadhikari got the better of her 21-10, 21-13. The last nail was hammered by Shruti Mundada and Akshaya with a 21-18, 21-13 win against Anagha Karandikar and Anamkia Singh.
“It is a fantastic day for us. I am proud of my girls and boys. I believe the Goa girls did well even though we won 5-0. They have talent but need more exposure,” said Maharashtra coach Akshay Dewalkar.
In the men’s section, Assam’s Orijit Chaliha hardly broke into a sweat before defeating Goa’s Ayaan Skaikh 21-9, 21-7 in just 23 minutes to go up 1-0. In the longest match of the day, H Arunesh – who had won his tie against Maharashtra on Thursday — levelled the tie after getting the better of Iman Snowal 21-14, 20-22, 21-17 in 49 minutes.
However, that was the only bright spot for Goa as Tejan Fallary and Arunesh H lost against Sangram Chutia and Suraj Goala 19-21, 19-21. Assam sealed the bronze medal when Tonmoy Bikash Boruah overcame Rahul Deswal 21-17, 17-21, 21-10.
In the last match of the day, Arjun Fallary and Fredreck Fernandes were beaten by Nibir Ranjan Choudhury and Iman Sonowal 21-17, 21-19.
In the men’s final, Maharashtra will take on Karnataka, while Assam will face Maharashtra in the women’s team final.
Uttarakhand got the better of Delhi 3-2 to secure bronze. In the women’s section, Andhra Pradesh and Punjab bagged bronze.
Source: The Times of India
