Indian shuttlers miss out on mixed team bronze

Indian shuttlers failed to replicate the performance of the 2010 Commonwealth Games at the 2014 edition here as they lost the mixed team bronze medal playoff 2-3 to Singapore at the Emirates Arena here Monday.

India, who won silver four years ago at home, could not come out with their best show, losing all three doubles matches, including the final crucial women's doubles, to go down to the city-state.

In the first match, scratch pair of R.M.V. Gurusaidutt and Ashwini Ponnappa failed to give India the start they needed as they were drubbed 19-21, 19-21 in 40 minutes by Danny Chrisnanta and Vanessa Neo in mixed doubles.

However, leading Indian badminton player Parupalli Kashyap came out with a sterling performance to defeat Chao Huang 21-15, 22-20 in 37 minutes in the men's singles to level the tie at 1-all.

Then regular men's doubles combine of Akshay Dewalkar and Pranaav Chopra lost 12-21, 16-21 in 33 minutes to Chrisnanta and Chayut Triyachart to go down 1-2.

World Championship bronze medallist P.V. Sindhu levelled the contest at 2-all when she beat Xiaoyu Liang 24-22, 21-13 in 42 minutes in the women's singles.

It all boiled down to India's most successful women's doubles pair of Jwala Gutta and Ashwini for the final match. There were a lot of expectations for the duo but Shinta Mulia Sari and Lei Yao proved too good for the Indians as they won 21-17, 29-27 in 56 minutes to clinch the metal for Singapore.

The individual championships of the discipline start Tuesday.