Indian sports wrap, January 29: India begins mixed disability T20I series with win over England; Senthilkumar, Chotrani advance in Washington

SQUASH

Senthilkumar, Chotrani advance in Washington

Reigning men’s national champion Velavan Senthilkumar and Veer Chotrani advanced in the Squash on Fire Open in Washington with hard-fought first-round wins in the PSA Bronze-level 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 World no. 11 and second seed Leonel Cardenas.

Chotrani edged out Hungary’s Balazs Farkas 6-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-3. The World no. 49 will take on French World no. 19 and fourth seed Baptiste Masotti next.

Women’s National champion and seventh seed Anahat Singh received a first-round bye.

-Team Sportstar

CRICKET

India starts on a high in mixed disability England series

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

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

Wicketkeeper-batter Angus Grant Brown added valuable runs in the latter 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 important wickets at crucial moments, preventing England from building sustained partnerships and keeping the target within reach.

In response, India chased down the total with confidence, reaching 175 for 3 in 18.5 overs. The chase was spearheaded by wicketkeeper-batter Yogendra Bhadoria, who delivered a match-winning performance with a magnificent 94 off 59 balls. Bhadoria’s innings, which included six fours and five sixes, provided stability and momentum throughout the run chase.

Bhadoria received able support from Akash Singh, who played a quickfire knock of 36 off just 15 balls, striking at an impressive rate and putting pressure back on the English bowlers.

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 to lie third in Bahrain

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

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

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

Patrick Reed winner of the Dubai Desert Classic last week, who announced he was leaving LIV, shot 1-under 71 and was Tied-59th.

Sharma, a two-time winner who lost his card at the end of 2025, also regained his rights soon after by finishing tied 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. Starting from the tenth, birdied the 12th and the 14th, but he dropped a shot on the 15th. A birdie on the 16th ensured he turned in 2-under.

On the second nine, the front side 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 seven feet each. On the first nine, he birdied the 12th from just under 30 feet.

Sandhu, also starting from the tenth, birdied the 10th but gave it back on the next hole. Three birdies in a row from the 15th to the 17th saw him turn in 3-under. On the second nine, he birdied the third, but dropped shots on the sixth and the 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

23-member Indian squad leave for Pokhara to play SAFF U19 Women’s C’ship

A 23-member Indian team have set out for Pokhara, Nepal, to participate in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship 2026, 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.

Before the tournament, the Young Tigresses had camped in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, and travelled to Nepal on Thursday.

The four-team 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 the Pokhara Stadium and streamed live on the Sportzworkz YouTube Channel.

-Team Sportstar

Published on Jan 29, 2026