One Boxer, Two Bowlers and a Dream Run! India’s Day 3 Delivers Big Commonwealth Games Buzz

India continued its encouraging start to the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow as Sachin Siwach advanced to the pre-quarterfinals of the men's 60kg boxing event, while the women's lawn bowls pair of Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh maintained their unbeaten record with a third successive victory on Saturday.

A day after Jhandu Kumar opened India's medal account with a bronze in the men's heavyweight para powerlifting competition, several Indian athletes produced strong performances across disciplines to keep the country's medal hopes alive.

One of India's leading boxing contenders, Sachin Siwach, defeated Canada's Keoma Al-Ahmadieh by a 4-1 split decision in the opening round at the SEC Centre. Having beaten the Canadian twice before, Siwach displayed confidence and composure to overcome another tough challenge. The 26-year-old will now face England's William Hewitt in the Round of 16 as he looks to move closer to the podium.

India's brightest performance came in lawn bowls, where Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh edged past Tonga 2-0 in a tie-breaker to register their third consecutive victory in the women's pairs event. The win kept the Indian duo firmly in contention for a semifinal berth from Section B. They will next take on Namibia, while England currently leads the standings on a better set count despite both teams winning all three matches.

In the men's singles, Putul Sonowal suffered his first defeat of the tournament, losing 0-2 (4-8, 8-9) to Malaysia's Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple despite a spirited fightback in the second set. Sonowal remains second in the Section D standings and will aim to bounce back in his next match.

India endured disappointment in swimming as Dhakshan Shashikumar and Aryan Nehra failed to qualify for the men's 400m freestyle final. The wheelchair women's basketball team also struggled, losing 1-16 to Wales.

Attention now turns to Sunday's weightlifting competition, where Olympic silver medallist Mirabai Chanu is expected to begin her campaign and strengthen India's medal tally despite the team's reduced squad following multiple doping-related withdrawals.