Highlights:
- The Indian women’s cricket team will be up against Australia in the opening match.
- Meanwhile, the hockey squad of the women in blue will face Ghana
- Tennis stalwarts Manika Batra and Sharath Kamal will also be seen in action on Day 1.
29th July will mark the commencement of the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG). Throughout the first day of the competition, a sizable contingent of Indian athletes will be present. The Indian women’s hockey squad, alongside the women’s cricket team, are looking forward to a solid start to their respective campaigns. While the men’s and women’s table tennis teams will be seen competing in the qualifiers, squash player Anahat Singh, the youngest member of the Indian delegation, will be up against Saint Vincent’s Jada Ross and the Grenadines. To top it off, India will face Pakistan in a mixed team badminton tournament (Group stage), and Shiva Thapa will initiate the boxing matches.
At 1 PM IST, the men’s triples match between India and New Zealand in lawn bowls will get the day started. At 3:30 PM, the women’s cricket team, captained by Harmanpreet Kaur, will play their first match against Australia.
On Day 1, many of India’s top boxers will compete, starting at 5 PM when Shiva Thapa takes on Suleman Baloch in the 63.5 Kg division. At the same time, Sumit Kundu will compete in the 75 kg division. At 11 PM, Rohit Tokas will compete in a 67 KG division match.
At 5:30 PM IST, the Indian women’s hockey team will play Ghana to open their Commonwealth Games campaign, while at 6:30 PM, India’s mixed badminton squad will play Pakistan.
On Day One, the Indian contingent in table tennis will be competing as athletes like Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra take the court. At 4:30 PM IST, the men’s squad will play Barbados, and at 8:30 PM, the women’s team will face Singapore.
Men’s team pursuit qualification in cycling will begin at 3:25 PM, and women’s team sprint qualification will start at 4:12 PM. At 4:46 PM, the sprint qualifying round for the men’s team will begin.
The final rounds will also take place on the same day, provided the teams qualify. The final for the men’s team pursuit begins at 9:55 PM, and the final for the women’s team sprint begins at 10:25 PM. At 10:35 PM, the men’s team sprint final will get underway.
India is presently ranked fourth in the CWG medal standings overall. Given that sports like Archery and Shooting, which have historically been strong disciplines for India, have not found a place in these Games, they would be looking to at least match their 66-medal haul from the previous Gold Coast edition going forward in the 2022 Birmingham Games.
India had won up to 26 gold, 20 silver, and 20 bronze medals in the Gold Coast Games, placing them third overall.