Indian shuttlers outclassed Sri Lanka 5-0 in their second group A match of the mixed team competition at the 22nd Commonwealth Games on Saturday.
A day after registering a win against Pakistan with 5-0, India notched up another convincing win to go top of group A and qualify for the quarterfinals with one tie remaining in the league stage of the competition.
Team India split the mixed and men's doubles pairing as Ashwini Ponnappa and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy were back together for the opening match.
The former world number 19 pair looked rusty initially before getting past Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendahewa 21-14 21-9 to put India 1-0 ahead.
World Championships bronze medallist Lakshya Sen, who is playing his first match after recovering from a shoulder injury, prevailed 21-18 21-5 over veteran Niluka Karunatne, who has competed at the Olympics in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
Akarshi Kashyap, who had made it to the team after topping the selection trials in April, went past Vidara Suhasni Vidanage 21-3 21-9 in the women's singles to hand India an unassailable 3-0 lead.
One half of the mixed doubles pair, B Sumeeth Reddy then combined with Chirag Shetty to beat Dumindu Abeywickrama and Sachin Dias 21-10 21-13 to make it 4-0.
In the final match, Gayatri Gopichand and Tressa Jolly overcame stiff resistance from Thilini Hendahewa and Vidara Suhasni Vidanage in the opening game won by 21-18 21-6.
Sen found the going tough in the opening game as Niluka brought all his experience into play and tried to engage his opponent in rallies.
"I was expecting that. I've trained with him before and played him in tournaments, so I know how he plays," the 20-year-old from Almora said after the match.
"I was rusty in the first game – it was my first match in the hall and I was still getting used to the conditions but I got better in the second game. There is a slight drift that was not there in the practice sessions.
"He's played for a long time so you should always expect a tough match when you're playing against that experience."
The Indian team will face Australia in its final league group match later in the day.
(Inputs by PTI)
