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India rout Sri Lanka, Pakistan to enter mixed team badminton quarters (Lead)
Gold Coast, April 5 (IANS) World No.2 Kidambi Srikanth and former World No.1 Saina Nehwal led the Indian badminton mixed team to the quarter-finals of the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games after outclassing Sri Lanka and Pakistan with an identical 5-0 scorelines in Pool a matches here on Thursday.
India will meet Scotland — who defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 — on Friday in a match which will decide the top-placed team in the pool at the Carrara Sports Arena.
In the first match against Sri Lanka, Srikanth beat Niluka Karunaratne 21-16, 21-10 to clinch the men’s singles match while Saina outshone Madushika Dilrukshi Beruwelage 21-8, 21-4.
Before Srikanth’s exploits, the mixed doubles duo of Ruthvika Shivani Gadde and Pranaav Jerry Chopra beat Sri Lanka’s Sachin Dias and Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa 21-15, 19-21, 22-20 to give India a winning start.
In an enchanting 57-minute see-saw battle where the scoreline read 18-18, 19-19, 20-20 before India turned things around.
Gadde and Jerry took an 11-10 lead in closing stages of the match to register India’s first win in the CWG 2018 over an upbeat Sri Lankan side.
In the men’s singles tie, Srikanth went into the break with a 11-8 lead in the first game before extending it further to 18-12, but the Sri Lankan scored three points in a row to cut down Srikanth’s lead to 18-15.
The Indian, however, used all his experience to fend off any scares by bagging the final three points comfortably.
In the second game, Srikanth once again got to a 11-8 lead before making it a one-sided affair in his favour by pocketing the tie easily at 21-10.
India made it an unassailable 3-0 over the Sri Lankans after the World No.21 pair of Satwik Ranikreddy and Chiraag Shetty beat Dinuka Karunaratne and Buwaneka Goonethilekka 21-17, 21-14 in the men’s doubles tie.
London Olympics bronze medallist Saina then sealed India’s win by thrashing Madushika Dilrukshi Beruwelage 21-8, 21-4 in the women’s singles match.
After going into the break with a 11-8 lead, Saina roared back scoring 10 points on the trot to comfortably pocket the first game. The World No.12 Indian extended her dominance in the second game, to take an 11-3 lead at the breather before gaining six points on the trot to eventually clinch the tie.
With an unbeatable 4-0 lead, the women’s doubles match turned out to be a one-sided affair for India’s Ashwini Ponappa and N. Sikki Reddy, who beat Thilini Pramodika Hendahewa and Kavidi Sirimannage 21-12, 21-14 in straight games to complete the clean sweep of the Sri Lankans.
In the game against Pakistan, the mixed doubles pair of Satwik and N. Sikki Reddy defeated Muhammad Irfan Saeed Bhatti and Palwasha Bashir 21-10, 21-13 to give India a 1-0 lead.
Pakistan’s Murad Ali made Srikanth to work hard for a 21-16, 22-20 win, while Saina dismissed Mahoor Shahzad’s challenge with a 21-7, 21-11 win.
Pranaav Jerry Chopra and Chirag defeated Bhatti and Murad 21-19, 21-15 in the men’s doubles match to make it 4-0.
In the women’s singles game, Ashwini Ponnappa and Ruthvika Gadde had it easy against Mahoor and Palwasha as the Indians won 21-6, 21-10.
–IANS
pur/hs
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.