Thanks for tuning into Sportstar’s live coverage of the mixed team final in badminton between India and Malaysia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. This was Nihit Sachdeva taking you through the action as it unfolded at Hall 5 of the National Exhibition Center.
MATCH-UPS
Malaysia won 3-1
That is it for the mixed team event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Do join us for live coverage of the individual events in the coming days. Till then, take care and stay safe!
Time for the Malaysian national anthem.
And finally, Malaysia receives the gold medals. Big day for most of these players as they were not part of the squad four years ago in Gold Coast. A huge round of applause, especially for NG Tze Yong as his name is announced.
It is time for the Indian squad to receive its silver medals. The Indian shuttlers must be a tad disappointed but nevertheless, a silver medal at the Commonwealth Games is no small deal. Youngsters like Lakshya Sen, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand will definitely remember this moment for the rest of their lives - their first CWG medal. The competition is not over for these players though as all of them will be back in action soon in individual categories in the coming days.
First up, Singapore contingent receives bronze medal. Watch out for Loh Kean Yew who is the reigning world champion and a strong gold medal contender in the singles action which begins tomorrow (or shall I say today?)
And the medallists start making their way towards the podium. While the final was played between India and Malaysia, earlier in the day, Singapore had beaten host nation England 3-0 in the bronze medal match.
Presentation ceremony shortly. Meanwhile, take a look at India’s medal tally at the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
India must be heartbroken but it must also remember that this was the first Commonwealth Games for the likes of Lakshya Sen, Gayatri Gopichand (a shuttler with that last name will be on the podium at CWG after 24 years!) and Treesa Jolly. They are young, bright and will definitely learn a lot from this experience.
Redemption for Malaysia. Four years ago in Gold Coast, it was the defending champion but despite having a legend like Lee Chong Wei in the team, it lost to India. Today, in Birmingham, despite not having its best men’s player in Lee Zii Jia, it has managed to beat India, the overwhelming favourite. NG Tze Yong is set to become national hero and why not! The Malaysian beat former world number one Kidambi Srikanth in an epic battle, the result of which was potentially the deciding factor.
FOURTH MATCH - Women’s Doubles - Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand vs Thinaah Muralitharan/Tan Koong Le Pearly
SECOND GAME
17-21:Backhand return from Thinaah takes a deflection off the net and the shuttle drops dead on the opposite end. Malaysia wins its fourth mixed team gold at Commonwealth Games and the entire contingent rushes onto the court to celebrate!!!!
17-20: Three gold medal points for the Malaysians.
17-18: Three straight points for the Indians. Just one point gap now.
15-18: Mind-blowing cross-court shot from Thinaah but just misses the line.
14-17: Excellent bit of attacking play from Gayatri, targeting Tan who clearly is not fully fit.
Pearly Tan seems to have some issue with her right ankle. The physio is applying some pain relieving spray.
13-17: Three consecutive points for the Indian duo. One final try?
10-17: One blistering smash after another from Pearly Tan. Eventually breaches the Indian defence.
9-16: Gayatri does well to keep the rally going but Treesa makes it all go in vain with a poor drop shot.
9-15: Service error from Tan.
8-15: Seven points in a row for Tan and Thinaah.
8-12: A wild return from Treesa. Shuttle goes flying off the court.
8-11: Three points on the trot for the Malaysians.
8-8: Treesa Jolly, what a fighter! The Malaysian’s kept peppering her with body smashes but she kept returning each and every one of them with the final one proving too much for Tan.
7-8: Gayatri takes two shots but eventually kills the point.
5-8: Treesa looks for a quick return of serve but ends up sending it wide.
5-6: Ridiculous cross-court smash from Thinaah. Finds the line.
5-5: Loose return from Tan. Barely makes it to the net.
4-4: Another excellent winning retrieve from Jolly.
3-2: Unbelievable defense from Thinaah on Gayatri’s smashes. However, Treesa clinches the point by finding the vacant right corner.
2-2: Close start to the second game.
FIRST GAME
18-21: Gayatri’s lift lands beyond the baseline. The Malaysians take the opening game and are now one game away from regaining the mixed team gold.
18-19: Two points in a row for the Indian teenagers. Are we on to something here?
16-19: Body smash at Treesa takes the Malaysians to within two points of winning the opening game.
16-18: Loose backhand shot from Thinaah. Two point gap now.
15-18: Cross-court net winner from Treesa. Just catches the line.
14-17: Brilliant net shot from Jolly and Tan’s clear goes way off-court.
13-16: Pearly Tan’s aggressive play forces out weak returns from Gayatri. Tan finishes the rally with a cross-court drop shot.
12-15: Treesa and Gayatri had so many opportunities to end the point but Malaysians kept at it and eventually, Treesa hits one into the net.
11-14: Great defense from Tan forces Treesa to switch to a drop shot and she fails miserably as the shuttle hits the net.
11-12: Error in judgement from Tan as Treesa’s return lands on the baseline. Same error but this time, it is Gayatri who had hit the return.
9-12: The drift takes Treesa’s backhand return wide.
8-11: Backhand kill from Thinaah takes a deflection off the net and falls on the opposite side.
8-10: Treesa splits the two Malaysians with the smash down the middle.
7-8: Resilient defending from the Indians against a barrage of smashes from the Malaysians and it does work as Thinaah smashes one into the net.
6-8: Weak backhand return from Gayatri. Shuttle hits the net.
5-7: Lovely bit of deception with the drop shot from Tan. Catches Jolly totally off guard.
5-6: Tan’s forehand cross-court return gets carried over the tramlines with the wind. One point gap.
2-5: Treesa blasts one smash after another. Malaysian pair has no issues in returning and making her play one more. Treesa eventually hits one wide.
2-4: A flurry of smashes from Tan but Indians keep lifting it. However, one lands beyond the baseline.
2-2: Treesa and Gayatri both target Thinaah and it works as the Malaysian’s return hits the net.
1-1: Gayatri’s clear lands beyond the baseline.
01:05 AM: Warm up is done. Game time!!!
Well, NG Tze Yong has played the match of his life to put Malaysia on the brink of victory. Next up is the women’s doubles match between India’s Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand and Malaysia’s Thinaah Muralitharan/Tan Koong Le Pearly. The Indian duo has previously lost its only encounter against the Malaysian pair.
THIRD MATCH - Men’s Singles - Kidambi Srikanth loses 19-21, 21-6, 16-21 to NG Tze Yong
THIRD GAME
16-21: THE REPLACEMENT HAS BECOME HERO. NG Tze Yong, who came as a replacement for Lee Zii Jia, has beaten Srikanth for the first time in his life and what a time to do it. Malaysia leads 2-1 and has one hand on the gold medal.
16-20: Yong earns four match points after another cracker of a rally. Cross-court clear finds the corner.
15-19: Lift from Srikanth goes long. Finish line in sight for Yong.
15-18: Srikanth can not afford to gift points like this. Another unforced error as he hits the shuttle into the net.
15-17: Drop shot from Srikanth gives no chance to Yong.
14-17: Sensational bit of defending from Yong to guide the body smash from Srikanth into the open court.
13-16: Down the line smash from Srikanth breaks Yong’s run of four points in a row.
12-16: Unforced error. Careless net shot from Srikanth. Four-point lead for Yong.
12-15: Another breathtaking rally and in the end, it is the error of judgement from Srikanth that costs him as Yong’s return lands inside the baseline.
12-13: I DO NOT BELIEVE THIS. An absolute scorcher of a rally where Srikant covered all four corners, made some jaw-dropping saves but it was the Malaysian who won the point with one smash which went beyond Srikanth who could not get up on time.
12-12: Yong defends body smashes from Srikanth but eventually, the Indian manages to get the shuttle past him.
11-11: Yong almost pulls off a stunner with a diving forehand get followed by a backhand down the line which lands just wide.
10-11: Yong’s net shot does not get enough elevation.
9-11: NG Tze Yong enters the mid-game interval with a two-point lead as Srikanth’s clear from the net gets carried beyong the tramline due to the drift.
9-10: Srikanth goes for the jump smash and hits the shuttle into the net.
9-8: Net shot sets up the point for Srikanth and he finishes it with a perfect down the line smash.
7-8: Error on the net shot from Srikanth. You don’t see that often.
7-7: Srikanth’s cross-court net shot at the end of a superb rally lands wide.
7-6: Srikanth constructs the point with the body smash and then absolutely whacks the shuttle into the court with the kill.
6-6: Well judged by Srikanth. Yong’s net shot lands just wide. The Malaysian loses his one challenge as well.
5-4: Srikanth takes the lead. Set up the point with one down the line smash on the left and finishes it with another on the right.
3-3: In next to no time, Srikanth levels the scores.
0-3: Brilliant start to the decider for Yong. Three consecutive points.
0-1: A wayward down the line smash from Srikanth. Misses the line by quite some distance.
SECOND GAME
21-6: Fourteen game-point opportunities but Srikanth needs only one. A precise cross-court net shot to seal the game and take this match to a deciding third game.
19-6: Yong’s clear shot goes beyond the baseline.
17-5: Eight straight points for Srikanth. A good passage of play for him.
13-5: More attack from Srikanth. Sets up the point with a down the line smash and finishes it with the cross-court kill.
12-5: Fantastic cross-court smash from Srikanth to extend his lead.
11-5: Srikanth enters the mid-game interval with a significant six-point lead.
10-5: Kill, body smash, kill. Srikanth wins the point. Genius.
9-5: Quick return of serve from Srikanth but an equally quick drive from Yong goes past the Indian into the open court.
9-3: Error on the overhead smash from Yong.
8-2: An audacious diving block shot from Srikanth kisses the net and drops on Yong’s side.
7-2: Easy kill for Srikanth. Five-point lead.
5-2: Drop shot from Srikanth lands right on the tramline.
4-2: Patient play from Srikanth. Waits for the right opportunity and then kills it with a down the line smash.
3-1: Yong’s thinking was right going with the cross-court return into the open court but somehow, the shuttle goes over the tramline.
2-0: Perfect first two rallies from Srikanth. Will need more of the same.
FIRST GAME
19-21: Cross-court return of Srikanth hits the net. Yong takes the opening game in this crucial men’s singles encounter.
19-20: Srikanth lets Yong’s drive go and it lands way inside the baseline.
19-19: This time, Srikanth stuns the Malaysian with his aggressively quick return of serve. Bit of luck from the net too.
18-19: Wonderfully disguised return of serve from Yong and earns the point with an easy kill.
18-18: Parity restored. Srikanth hits a glorious down the line smash.
17-18: Srikanth’s cross-court smash finds Yong out of position. One-point game now.
16-18: All of a sudden, Yong has a two-point cushion. Swift movement and aggression on display from the Malaysian.
16-16: Error in judgement from Srikanth as Yong’s return lands on the baseline.
15-15: Unbelievable stuff from Yong to go back and forth to retrieve one shot after the other. Eventually, runs out of fuel as Srikanth hits a beautiful net shot.
14-15: Superb cross-court forehand drop shot midway through the rally from Yong.
13-14: Four straight points for the Malaysian. Brilliant point construction and patient play.
13-12: Srikanth tries all he can to overwhelm Yong with the smashes, does not work. Tries to be deceptive midway with the cute drop shot but the shuttle travels only as far as the net and drops on his side.
13-10: Excellent cross-court forehand return from Srikanth into the open court. Follows it up by winning the next point with a quick kill at the net.
11-10: Stunning overhead smash from Srikanth. Yong could not react in time. A slender one-point lead at the mid-game interval for Srikanth.
9-10: Cross-court drop shot from Srikanth lands just wide.
7-9: Another unforced error from the Indian. The attempted overhead smash hits the net.
7-7: Srikanth wins three in a row. A bit more attacking play and Yong is unable to adjust to the same.
4-7: Well-disguised drop shot from the baseline from Yong. Srikanth was in position as he had already started stepping backwards.
4-5: Srikanth wins the battle of the net shots and ends Yong’s run of four points in a row.
3-5: Blistering pace on Yong’s down the line smash. Srikanth’s backhand return hits the net.
3-3: A loose drop shot from Srikanth. Does not even cross the net.
3-2: Yong finds the line this time with his down the line smash.
1-1: Both shuttlers begin the match with angled smashes while missing the lines.
11:50 PM:Warm-up is done. Game time!!!!
PV Sindhu overcomes a stiff challenge from Goh Jin Wei to bring India back into this gold medal match. Onto the men’s singles where Kidambi Srikanth faces NG Tze Yong. The Indian has a 2-0 head-to-head record against the Malaysian. Both shuttlers have stepped onto the court and begun warm-up.
SECOND MATCH - Women’s Singles - P V Sindhu beats Goh Jin Wei 22-20, 21-17
SECOND GAME
21-17: Goh Jin Wei gives it her all but at the end, it is Sindhu who emerges victorious. A long final rally leaves the Malaysian face down on the court as Sindhu hits the shuttle back into the open court from the net. India 1-1 Malaysia
20-15: Down the line smash from Sindhu. Five match points.
19-14: Cross-court smash from Sindhu takes within two points of the win.
18-13: Sindhu fails to finish the point with her body smashes as Goh Jin Wei keeps returning one after the other and ultimately, Sindhu hits one into the net.
18-12: Clever net shot from Sindhu.
17-11: Sindhu is running away with the match now. Quick kill. Effective.
15-11: Sindhu restores her four-point lead as the Indian’s lift lands right on the baseline.
13-11: Goh Jin Wei trying her best to stay close to Sindhu in terms of points in the second game. Doing quite well.
11-9: Two quick overhead smashes from Goh Jin Wei followed by a quick kill which hits Sindhu. Two-point gap.
11-8: Inch-perfect cross-court lift from Goh Jin Wei. Sindhu lets it go but the shuttle lands on the side line.
11-7: Goh Jin Wei goes for the cross-court smash straight away on Sindhu’ serve but manages to find only the net. Four-point lead for Sindhu at the mid-game interval.
9-7: The Malaysian shuttler makes an unforced error going for the net shot after some excellent bit of defending from Sindhu.
6-6: Goh Jin Wei dictates the rally all the way and eventually, Sindhu is unable to retrieve the net shot.
5-5: Goh Jin Wei tries the cross-court drop again. It has worked out well for her so far but not on this occasion.
4-4: Sindhu wrongfoots Goh Jin Wei with her down the line smash and levels the scores.
2-4: Four consecutive points for Goh Jin Wei. She may have lost the first game but the fact that she almost won it out of nowhere must have boosted her confidence.
2-0: Sindhu starts the second game just like she did in the first. A couple of thunderous smashes.
FIRST GAME
22-20: Sindhu wins the opening game at the second time of asking. Earned the game point with a down the line smash and then converted it as Goh’s attempted cross-court net shot never made it to the opposite side of the court.
20-20: Goh Jin Wei’s cross-court drop shot does the damage again. Incredible.
20-19: Sindhu wins what is probably the rally of the match. Thirty-seven shots and it is the Indian who comes out on top with a down the line smash. One game point.
18-19: Goh Jin Wei moves ahead. What a turnaround!
18-18: Extraordinary comeback from Goh Jin Wei. Body smash and Sindhu’s return hits the net. Scores level.
18-17: Another delightful cross-court drop from Goh Jin Wei. Five points on the trot.
18-16: Goh Jin Wei believes. Malaysia believes. Two-point game now. Another unforced error from Sindhu.
18-14: Down the line smash from Goh, Sindhu lets it go thinking it is going wide but it is well in. Four-point game.
18-12: A healthy six-point lead for Sindhu. Finish line in sight in the first game.
16-11: Goh Jin Wei goes for the cross-court drop with the tightest of the angles available. However, she executes it and how!
15-10: Little bit of momentum for Goh now as Sindhu makes one unforced error after another.
14-7: Goh thought she had one of the best net shots there ever was but Sindhu simply lifted the shuttle over her head into the open court.
13-7: Terrific overhead slice from Sindhu. No chance for the Malaysian to retrieve.
11-6: Down the line smash from Sindhu gives her five-point advantage at the halfway stage in the first game.
10-4: A reckless overhead shot from the Malaysian goes flying off the court.
9-3: No mistake this time. Down the line smash from Sindhu leaves Goh on the floor.
8-2: Sindhu does incredibly well to anticipate Goh Jin Wei’s net shots but makes a mess of the smash by hitting it bang into the net.
7-1: More of one way traffic. Cross-court slice of pure class from the Indian.
6-1: Lovely cross-court drop shots from Sindhu.
4-1: Goh Jin Wei opens her account courtesy of a fumbled drop shot by Sindhu.
4-0: Sindhu has come out all guns blazing. The height advantage, the power and the slight drift too is working for her.
Warm-up is done. Game time!!!!
10:55 PM: Sindhu and Goh Jin Wei have entered the arena.
Chia and Soh further strengthen their head-to-head record against the Indians to 5-0. Next up will be P V Sindhu against Goh Jin Wei in the women’s singles tie. Sindhu, the biggest superstar in Indian badminton at the moment, has a 2-0 win loss record against the Malaysian. However, this is a different situation. Pressure must surely be on the tall Indian.
FIRST MATCH - Men’s Doubles - Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty lose 18-21, 15-21 to Teng Fong Aaron Chia/Wooi Yik Soh
SECOND GAME
15-21: They needed only one. Chirag’s return goes under the net and the Malaysian pair lets out a huge roar. Malaysia leads 1-0.
15-20: Five match points for Chia and Soh. Well deserved.
14-18: Unfortunate. Simply bad luck. Chia’s return on Chirag’s serve catches the net and drops dead on the Indian pair’s side.
13-17: Once again, Soh attacks Satwik with body smashes and wins the point.
13-16: A rare error at the net from Soh. Two consecutive points for the Indians.
11-16: Total lack of communication between Satwik and Chirag. Ultimately, Satwik sends a half-hearted return which barely gets anything on it and hits the net.
11-14: Relentless stuff from Soh who keeps badgering Satwik’s body and manages to pierce his defense.
10-13: Soh takes on the Indians all by himself and sends one thundering smash into the opposition court.
10-11: Looks like coach Boe’s words have done something. Satwik and Chirag have won three points after the interval. The third one needs a special mention as Chirag went mid-rally to change his racquet and the Indians still won it.
Coach Mathias Boe in conversation with Satwik and Chirag who clearly look a bit short on confidence.
7-11: Four-point lead for Chia and Soh at the mid-game interval. Can Satwik and Chirag make a comeback from here?
7-9: Alert Chirag sends a precise net return which dips viciously and Soh can manage to send the shuttle only into the net.
6-8: Indians end Chia and Soh’s run off three consecutive points as Soh overcooks the drive and it lands beyond the baseline. Unsuccessful challenge from the Malaysians.
4-5: Strange shot selection from Soh. Decided to innovate and go for the cross-court net shot but the shuttle never cross the net.
3-4: Satwik expected Chirag to intercept at the net which did not happen and the result is a return from Satwik which goes under the net.
3-2: Three points on the trot for the Indians, the final one coming after a 43-shot rally.
0-2: Solid start to the second game for the Malaysians. They have successfully managed to nullify the power of the Indians with their sturdy defending.
FIRST GAME
18-21: Would you believe it? From 15-18 down, Soh and Chia have reeled off six straight points to clinch the opening game.
18-20: Two game points for Malaysia. No one saw that coming. Excellent bit of defending from Soh and Chia and Satwik ends up fumbling the net shot.
18-19: Did I mention momentum? Four points in a row for the Malaysians now.
18-15: Four points in a row for the Indian duo. Momentum.
16-15: Chirag is here, there and everywhere! Mid-way through the rally, it becomes one against too and it is Chirag who emerges victorious as he keeps the exchange going before pushing the opponents back and ending it with a drop, leaving Soh on the floor.
14-15: Satwik takes the risk of going for the down the line smash but sends it wide.
13-13: Successful challenge from the Indian pair as the lift landed bang on the baseline.
11-13: Satwik and Chirag decide against going cross-court in the rally. Malaysian pair eventually gets a weak return and Soh kills it easily.
11-11: Behind-the-body return from Soh! However, Satwik takes the point with a quick kill.
10-11: Chia and Soh take a slender one-point lead at the mid-game interval.
10-10: Chirag commits and he delivers. Keeps on attacking with his body smashes and reaps the reward by levelling the score.
8-9: Great rally. Malaysian consistently exploited vacant spots on the Indian side and eventually, Soh’s down-the-line smash lands, much to the joy of the Malaysian contingent.
8-7: The intensity of the rallies has increased as both pairs of shuttlers have properly warmed up. The point goes to the Indian duo as Chirag hits one unreturnable smash down the middle.
6-6: Clever serve from Satwik. Barely put anything on it and Soh’s return hits the net.
5-6: Chirag sets up the point with the smash from the back, the return from the Malaysian shuttler barely makes it to the net and Satwik hits the shuttle back at him with ferocious speed.
4-4: Great bit of defending from Satwik and Chirag. Eventually, Soh hits one which goes only as far as the net.
3-4: Chirag looks for the tramline and misses it by quite some distance.
2-1: Whoa! Chirag loses his balance midway through the rally. Malaysians win the point. Fortunately for India, nothing serious though.
1-0: First point of the final goes to the Indian pair as Chirag hits one powerful jump smash and Soh’s return hits the net.
Game time!!!
10 PM: Here we go. First match is the men’s doubles tie between Indian duo of Satwik Sairaj Rankireddy-Chirag Shetty and Malaysian pair of Teng Fong Aaron Chia-Wooi Yik Soh who have entered the arena.
The head-to-head record, if you are an Indian fan, is not that encouraging. Satwik and Chirag have lost all four matches they have played against Chia and Soh.
9:55 PM: Five minutes to go before live action begins. Time to check the line-ups one final time. India has chosen to go ahead with Srikanth instead of Lakshya for the men’s singles tie. Tactical genius?
9:45 PM: Just 15 minutes to go for the clash between two badminton powerhouses. Till then, read why doubles matches are going to be key for India if it wants to retain gold, a piece by Sudipta Biswas.
9:35 PM: India has had a pretty extraordinary day in team events today. While the men’s team of Sharath Kamal, Sanil Shetty, Harmeet Desai and G Sathiyan successfully defended its table tennis gold medal against Singapore, the women’s side comprising skip Rupa Rani Tirkey, Lovely Choubey, Pinki and Nayanmoni Saikia created history by beating South Africa 17-10 to clinch the country’s first-ever gold medal in Lawn Bowls, a sport many Indians did not even know about. Can the Indian badminton contingent keep the streak alive?
9:25PM: As far as the squads are concerned, India has retained Sindhu, Ponnappa, Chirag, Satwik, and Srikanth from the team that won the gold in 2018. For Malaysia, only Chan Peng Soon was a member of the 2018 silver medallist contingent.
9:15 PM: How India and Malaysia have reached the final-
| INDIA | MALAYSIA | |
| GROUP STAGE | BEAT PAKISTAN 5-0 | BEAT ZAMBIA 5-0 |
| GROUP STAGE | BEAT SRI LANKA 5-0 | BEAT JAMAICA 5-0 |
| GROUP STAGE | BEAT AUSTRALIA 4-1 | BEAT SOUTH AFRICA 5-0 |
| QUARTERFINAL | BEAT SOUTH AFRICA 3-0 | BEAT SRI LANKA 3-0 |
| SEMIFINAL | BEAT SINGAPORE 3-0 | BEAT ENGLAND 3-0 |
9:05 PM: It is time for the gold medal match between reigning champion India and three-time winner Malaysia. Both teams have had a fairly comfortable route to the summit clash. However, the pressure of the final can do interesting things to the best of the players. Stay tuned as I take you through the pre-match build-up!
MATCH PREVIEW
Defending champion India takes on Malaysia in the mixed team final at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in what will be a repeat of the summit clash from four years ago in Gold Coast.
India made it to the final with dominating performances in the group stage. It clean swept Pakistan and Sri Lanka 5-0 and beat Australia 4-1.
The Indian shuttlers followed it with 3-0 wins over South Africa and Singapore in quarterfinal and semifinal, respectively.
This is the third CWG final between India and Malaysia. The first summit clash happened in the 2010 edition in New Delhi where Lee Chong Wei’s Malaysia beat India 3-1.
Overall, Malaysia has won the mixed team gold three times, only second in the all-time list which is topped by England with six gold medals.
What time is the India vs Malaysia mixed team badminton final?
The India vs Malaysia mixed team badminton final is scheduled to start at 10 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Tuesday, August 2.
Where to watch India vs Malaysia mixed team badminton final?
India vs Malaysia mixed team table tennis final will be telecast on the Sony Network and streamed online on Sony Liv.
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