Mandaviya Hails India’s Winning Start at Commonwealth Games as Bowlers Shine in Glasgow

Glasgow, July 2026 : Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday congratulated India’s lawn bowls contingent for making an impressive start to the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, praising the team’s determination after a series of thrilling victories on the opening day of competition.

Taking to social media platform X, the Union Minister celebrated India’s dramatic triumph in the women’s pairs event, describing it as an edge-of-the-seat contest that showcased the fighting spirit of Indian athletes.

“A thrilling start to #Glasgow2026! Witnessed an absolute edge-of-the-seat thriller today as our athletes clinched a spectacular victory on the very last delivery against Malta in the Bowls Women’s Pairs event,” Dr. Mandaviya wrote.

India’s women’s pairs duo of Pinki Singh and Rupa Rani Tirkey delivered a memorable performance, defeating Malta in a tense tiebreak during the sectional group stage. Competing in the discipline’s newly introduced indoor format, officially referred to as “Bowls” for the first time in Commonwealth Games history, the Indian pair displayed remarkable composure under pressure.

Facing Malta’s Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon, the Indians made a confident start to the contest. After Rupa Rani settled into the match, Pinki produced a series of accurate deliveries that helped India establish an early advantage. However, the Maltese pair fought back strongly to force the match into a tiebreak, setting up a nail-biting finish.

With the outcome hanging in the balance, Pinki delivered the decisive bowl of the match, ensuring India secured a hard-earned victory and began its Commonwealth Games campaign on a winning note.

India’s celebrations continued later in the day when Putul Sonowal produced one of the biggest upsets of the opening round in the men’s singles competition. Making his Commonwealth Games debut, Sonowal stunned reigning world champion and World Bowls Hall of Fame inductee Ryan Bester of Canada in a gripping contest that also required a tiebreak to determine the winner.

Competing in Section D of the preliminary stage, the reigning Asian champion displayed remarkable confidence against the vastly experienced Bester. After the two players finished level at 1-1 following regulation play, the match moved into a tiebreak.

Sonowal kept his composure during the decisive moments, with his opening delivery landing close to the kitty. The impressive effort proved enough to secure a famous victory over one of the sport’s biggest names and handed India another encouraging result on the opening day.

The victory marked one of the finest wins of Sonowal’s young international career and underlined India’s growing strength in a sport that has witnessed remarkable progress since the historic gold medal won by the women’s fours team at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

Sonowal will now face Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in his next Section D match on Friday as he looks to continue his impressive run in the competition.

India’s strong opening-day performances have raised hopes of another successful Commonwealth Games campaign in bowls, a discipline in which the country has emerged as a serious medal contender in recent years. With experienced campaigners and rising stars delivering under pressure, the Indian contingent has made an encouraging start in Glasgow, setting the tone for what promises to be an exciting fortnight of competition across multiple sporting disciplines.