Photographs: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Joshana Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal combined brilliantly to clinch the coveted gold medal in the women's doubles final and give India their first squash medal in the Commonwealth Games after the pair outplayed Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro of England in Glasgow, on Saturday.
The fifth-seeded Indian pair made short work of their English opponents with a 11-6, 11-8 win in the best-of-three game final.
The Indians though looked in some trouble in Game 2 when they trailed 7-2 at one point, but some incredible drop shots from Dipika and Joshana made the win look easy in the end.
Medals tally: 2014 Commonwealth Games
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PHOTOS: Chinappa-Pallikal create history with CWG squash gold
Photographs: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Duncalf and Massaro were no match for the absolutely in-sync pair of Joshana and Dipika, who moved rhythmically in the glass show court at the Scotstoun Campus Squash arena.
The English duo played traditional squash with no variety at all and played the doubles match with a 'singles' mindset against the Indian players, who seemed to have mastered the doubles game.
Duncalf and Massaro had settled for silver in the 2010 edition of the Games in Delhi.
England, though, took consolation from the fact that Alison Waters and Emma Beddoes thrashed Kasey Brown and Rachael Grinham of Australia to take bronze and keep the nation firmly atop the medals tally.
Medals tally: 2014 Commonwealth Games
Complete coverage of the Glasgow Commonwealth Games
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PHOTOS: Chinappa-Pallikal create history with CWG squash gold
Photographs: Ryan Pierse/Getty Images
Joshana admitted that they always respected their opponents and took one game at a time.
"We were always taking it one match at a time because all the players are really good. A lot of them have been medallists previously," said Joshana after the win.
Dipika hopes the victory will help give squash a push in India.
"We are really excited, not only for us but for Indian squash in general. We have been in the shadows for a very long time and hopefully this can open up to a lot of girls," she said.
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