Indian Sports Report, January 29: India starts mixed-handicap T20I series with win over England; Senthilkumar and Chotrani advance in Washington

SQUASH

Senthilkumar and Chotrani advance in Washington

Reigning national champions Velavan Senthilkumar and Veer Chotrani advanced in the Squash on Fire Open in Washington with hard-fought first-round victories in the PSA Bronze event.

World No. 46 Senthilkumar rallied to beat England’s Tom Walsh 12-14, 11-8, 11-8, 11-6, and will next meet Mexican No. 46. 11 and second seed Leonel Cardenas.

Chotrani defeated Hungary’s Balazs Farkas 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-3. The world No. 49 will face the French world No. 49. 19 and fourth seed Baptiste Masotti next.

Women’s national champion and seventh seed Anahat Singh received a bye in the first round.

-Team Sportstar

CRICKET

India start on a high in the English mixed-handicap series

India got off to a strong start in the historic five-match mixed handicap T20I series against England, recording a convincing seven-wicket win over England in the opening match at the Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Stadium, Greater Noida on Thursday.

England batted first after losing the toss and posted a competitive 173 for 5 in the allotted 20 overs. England captain Callum Flynn set the early pace with an aggressive 26 off 16 balls, while Lian O’Brien anchored the innings with a composed 55 off 41 deliveries, hitting four boundaries and three sixes.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Angus Grant Brown added valuable runs in the second half, scoring a fluent 53 off 34 balls to ensure England crossed the 170-run mark.

India’s bowlers maintained discipline during key phases of the innings. Akash Singh and Vivek Kumar picked up key wickets at crucial junctures, preventing England from building lasting partnerships and keeping the target within reach.

In response, India took to the total with confidence, reaching 175 for 3 in 18.5 overs. The chase was led by wicketkeeper-batsman Yogendra Bhadoria, who produced a match-winning performance with a magnificent 94 off 59 balls. Bhadoria’s innings, which featured six fours and five sixes, provided stability and momentum in the chase.

Bhadoria received ably support from Akash Singh, who played a quick knock of 36 off just 15 balls, striking at an impressive pace and putting the English bowlers under pressure again.

The win gives India a 1-0 lead in the series. The second T20I will also be played in Greater Noida.

-Team Sportstar

GOLF

Sharma closes with four birdies in round of 66 and is third in Bahrain

Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma fired four closing birdies for a solid 6-under 66 to finish third on the opening day of the Bapco Energies Bahrain Championship.

Sharma, who finally seems comfortable with his new set of clubs, was behind co-leaders Alejandro del Rey of Spain and German Alexander Schott, who each carded a 7-under 65.

India’s other player in the field, Yuvraj Sandhu, also had a good start with 2-under 70 and was tied for 31st.

Last week’s Dubai Desert Classic winner Patrick Reed, who announced he was leaving LIV, shot a 1-under 71 to finish tied for 59th.

Sharma, a two-time winner who lost his card at the end of 2025, also regained his rights shortly afterwards by finishing tied for second in the Qualifying School.

Sharma’s first event of 2026 was the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, where he missed the cut. Also missing the cut was Yuvraj Sandhu, who earned a Tour card by topping the Order of Merit on the domestic PGTI Tour in India.

In Bahrain, Sharma had a great day with the putter. From the 10th, he birdied the 12th and 14th, but dropped a shot at the 15th. A birdie at the 16th left him at 2 under.

On the back nine, the front of the Royal Golf Club in Bahrain, Sharma parred the first five holes and then caught fire. He birdied the sixth from 17 feet, the seventh from 14 feet and the eighth and ninth from almost eight feet each. On the front nine, he birdied the 12th from just under 30 feet.

Sandhu, also starting from the tenth, birdied the tenth but gave it back on the next hole. Three straight birdies from the 15th to the 17th put him at 3-under. On the back nine, he birdied the third but dropped shots on the sixth and eighth to finish at 2-under 70.

Co-leader Del Rey was bogey-free in his round of 65, while Schott had six birdies in his first seven holes from the tenth. He had two birdies, an eagle, a bogey and a double bogey on his second nine, for a total of 65 for the day.

-PTI

FOOTBALL

The 23-member Indian squad heads to Pokhara to play SAFF U19 Women’s C’ship

A 23-member Indian team has left for Pokhara, Nepal, to participate in the 2026 SAFF U19 Women’s Championship, scheduled from January 31 to February 7.

India will participate in the tournament with its U17 squad, which is preparing for the AFC U17 Women’s Asian Cup China 2026.

Ahead of the tournament, the Young Tigresses had camped in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, and traveled to Nepal on Thursday.

The SAFF U19 Women’s Championship will be played in a round-robin format, followed by a final between the top two teams on February 7.

India will face Nepal (January 31), Bangladesh (February 2) and Bhutan (February 4).

All matches will be played at Pokhara Stadium and streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube channel.

-Team Sportstar

BADMINTON

Isharani Baruah stuns second seed to enter Thailand Masters quarters

India’s Isharani Baruah upset second seed Sung Shuo Yun of South Korea to enter the women’s singles quarter-finals of the Thailand Masters badminton event on Thursday.

The world number 48 from India played exceptionally against 34th-ranked Sung 21-13, 14-21, 21-14 in a hard-fought round of 16 matches.

Baruah’s compatriot Devika Shaig also eliminated a seeded player, Taipei’s Tung Ciou-Tong, with a 21-14, 21-14 win to enter the last eight legs.

However, seventh-seeded Kiran George of India fell to Indonesia’s Prahdiska Bagas Shujiwo 16-21, 11-21 in another round of 16 women’s singles match, forcing him out of the tournament.

In the men’s singles, Tharun Mannepalli narrowly edged past Taipei’s Ting Yen-Chen 21-17, 14-21, 24-22 to reach the quarter-finals.

His compatriot Mithun Manjunath fell short against Lee Zii Jia, losing 21-11, 16-21, 12-21 in the round of 16.

-PTI

Published on January 29, 2026