Joshana/Dipika win gold, give India first squash medal in CWG

Glasgow: Joshana Chinappa and Dipika Pallikal combined brilliantly to clinch gold in the womens doubles final and give India their first squash medal in the Commonwealth Games after the pair outplayed Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro of England here 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.

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, which seems 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.

India stay fifth with their gold count improving to 14 and the overall tally to 55 (25 silver and 16 bronze).