Commonwealth Games 2022: Defending champions India face Singapore in men’s team table tennis final - watch live
The Indian TT squad, led by the experienced Sharath Kamal, beat Nigeria in the semi-final to set up the clash at the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull on Tuesday.
Defending champions India will meet Singapore in the men's team table tennis final at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham, UK on Tuesday.
The Sharath Kamal-led Indian table tennis contingent has been invincible at the National Exhibition Centre in Solihull. India called the shots against Barbados, Singapore and Northern Ireland to reach the quarter-final, where they beat Bangladesh. India beat CWG 2018 silver medallist Nigeria in the semi-final. India won 3-0 against all.
World No. 31 doubles pair of Sathiyan Gnanasekaran and Harmeet Desai have been providing electric starts. They are setting the tone of the team tournament and will be influential in the final. They beat Mohutasim Ahmed Ridoy and Ramhimlian Bawm 11-8 11-6 11-2 to get India off the mark.
G Sathiyan and Harmeet have an attacking game. The latter has a deceptive serve, while the former unleashes his quick backhand smash to unsettle the opponents.
Sharath Kamal, ranked 39th in singles, is playing in his fifth CWG. The veteran table tennis player from Chennai will be the mainstay in the men's singles. He won a high-pressure semi-final 11-9 7-11 11-8 15-13 against World No.15 Quadri Aruna of Nigeria and will be gunning for gold as this could be his last outing at the Games.
The 40-year-old Sharath Kamal stays close to the net on his first return but smashes the very next one. He can be predictable yet unplayable.
The 35th-ranked G Sathiyan has been in fine form in singles as well. Besides the 11-2, 11-3, 11-5 victory over Ridoy, he got the better of Singapore's Chew Zhe Yu Clarence in 23 minutes.
Singapore has been successful on the table at the Games in China's absence. They finished with six medals in 2018, and lost the bronze medal match to England.
The islanders tasted sweet revenge by beating England 3-2 this time around to make the final. Pang Yew En Koen, who was instrumental in both singles and doubles triumphs, will be the key player.
India vs Singapore men’s team table tennis final in Commonwealth Games 2022: India match time
The India vs Singapore men’s team table tennis final is scheduled to start at 8:50 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Tuesday, August 2 in India.
Where to watch India vs Singapore men’s team table tennis final in India?
India vs Singapore men’s team table tennis final will be telecast live on Sony SIX, Sony TEN 1, Sony TEN 2, Sony TEN 3 and Sony TEN 4 TV channels in India. Live streaming will be available on SonyLIV. Broadcast is subject to Sony.