India Sports Wrap, March 14: Four Indian pugilists in finals at Futures Cup
BOXING
Four Indians one win away from gold medal at World Boxing Futures Cup 2026
Chandrika, Gunjan, Joyshree Devi and Ambekar Meetei advanced to the finals after registering convincing victories in their semifinal bouts at the World Boxing Futures Cup 2026 in Bangkok on Saturday
In the women’s 51kg category, Chandrika delivered a strong performance to defeat Rihab Hamdoune of Morocco by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) in the second round. In the women’s 48kg category, Gunjan defeated North Korea’s Yu Gyong Kim by a 5-0 unanimous decision.
Joyshree Devi (54kg) produced another commanding display bettering Mexico’s Sofia Ramirez by Referee Stopped Contest (RSC) in the first round to secure her spot in the final.
In the men’s 50kg category, Ambekar Meetei also advanced to the final after registering a 5-0 unanimous decision victory over Uzbekistan’s Abdugani Yorkinjonov.
Meanwhile, Radhamani Longjam (57kg) fought a closely contested bout but went down 2-3 to Ukraine’s Yevanhelina Petruk in the semifinals, finishing with a bronze medal.
-Team Sportstar
India U-17 women secure comeback win over Myanmar with two late strikes
The India Under-17 women’s team produced a dramatic late comeback to defeat Myanmar 3-2 in the second of two international friendlies at the Thuwunna Stadium on Saturday.
Substitutes Anushka Kumari and Joya scored in the closing minutes as the side, coached by Pamela Conti, overturned a first-half deficit to secure the win.
Myanmar led 2-1 at half-time through goals from Hnin Wint War Kyaw (12’) and Min Htone May Zitar (45’), with Alva Devi Senjam (33’) scoring India’s first-half equaliser. Late strikes from substitutes Anushka Kumari (88’) and Joya (90+1’) completed India’s comeback.
The match was part of India’s preparations for the upcoming AFC U-17 Women’s Asian Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in Suzhou from May 1 to May 17. Myanmar, which has also qualified for the continental tournament, is using the fixtures as part of its preparations. India had earlier won the first friendly 2-0 on Thursday.
Myanmar started brightly and put India under early pressure, creating a couple of chances within the opening 10 minutes. Forward Shin Thant Phyu Sin Pyone pressed Indian goalkeeper Munni into making an errant pass that fell to Saung Thazin Oo, but she failed to keep her effort on target with the goal at her mercy.
Moments later, Myanmar threatened again from a set-piece. Pin Myint Yan’s free-kick struck the wall before the loose ball fell kindly for Phyu Sin Pyone, but Munni recovered in time to deny her in a one-on-one situation.
Myanmar’s early dominance paid off in the 12th minute. Khaing Zin Myint delivered a free-kick from the left flank into the penalty area and Munni rushed out to punch clear. Her weak clearance fell to Hnin Wint War Kyaw, who calmly struck a left-footed shot into the net to give the hosts the lead.
India gradually settled after the setback and began to find its rhythm. Much of its attacking play came down the left flank, where Alva Devi Senjam and Redima Devi Chingkhamayum combined effectively to stretch the Myanmar defence.
The equaliser arrived in the 33rd minute when Redima spotted Alva making a run and floated a precise ball over the defence. The forward controlled it inside the box before firing a powerful left-footed shot past the goalkeeper at the near post. It was the 15-year-old’s first youth international goal for India.
Myanmar regained the advantage just before the break. In the 45th minute, Saung Thazin Oo delivered a corner from the left and Min Htone May Zitar rose sharply to head home from a tight angle, restoring the hosts’ lead as they went into half-time ahead 2-1.
The second half turned into a tightly contested affair, with both sides adopting a cautious approach. Clear chances were few as the midfield battle intensified.
India drew level in the 88th minute through substitute Anushka Kumari, who had replaced captain Julan Nongmaithem earlier in the half. Collecting a pass from fellow substitute Bonifilia Shullai, the 15-year-old surged forward and attempted a strike from over 25 yards, sending the ball over the goalkeeper and into the net.
The late equaliser lifted India and the visitors completed the turnaround in stoppage time. In the 91st minute, Elizabed Lakra launched a long ball from deep. Myanmar defender Pin Myint Yan misjudged her header, allowing substitute Joya to latch onto the loose ball and slot a left-footed finish past the goalkeeper to seal the victory.
Joya’s goal was her first youth international strike for India and came in only her second appearance.
-Team Sportstar
TABLE TENNIS
Senior National TT: Powerhouses PSPB, RSPB start strongly
Traditional powerhouses PSPB and RSPB started their campaign in the 87th UTT Senior National Table Tennis Championships with dominant victories, moving closer to the knockout stage in Indore on Saturday.
In the men’s section, PSPB set the early pace in Group A with convincing 3–0 victories over Andhra Pradesh and Punjab.
Later, RSPB asserted control in Group B, defeating Rajasthan 3–1 before brushing aside Gujarat 3–0.
West Bengal also made an impressive start in Group C with back-to-back 3–1 wins over Uttarakhand and Odisha, while Telangana topped Group D after beating Chhattisgarh 3–0 and Madhya Pradesh 3–1.
The closest contest of the day came in Group E, where Delhi edged Maharashtra 3–2 in a gripping contest.
Delhi had taken the initial lead, but Maharashtra fought back strongly.
The turning point came in the fourth rubber when Kushal Chopda defeated Sudhanshu Grover 11–6, 5–11, 11–6, 8–11, 13–11 in a tense five-game battle, levelling the tie at 2–2 and forcing a decider.
Chopda’s effort was particularly notable as he won both his singles on the day, keeping Maharashtra firmly in the contest.
With the tie hanging in the balance, the decisive fifth rubber saw Shivjit Singh Lamba deliver under pressure for Delhi.
He overcame Anish Sontakke 11–6, 13–11, 12–10 to clinch the match and seal a hard-fought 3–2 victory.
Mizoram and Assam dominated Group F with clean sweeps, while Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu advanced smoothly in Group G with emphatic 3–0 results.
Haryana and Karnataka also opened their campaigns strongly in Group H with convincing wins.
The women’s team event followed a similar pattern, with the stronger teams asserting early control.
The PSPB, RBI, and Maharashtra all registered successive 3–0 victories to underscore their strength, while Tamil Nadu dominated Group C with wins over Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh.
West Bengal and Delhi also impressed with comfortable victories in their respective groups.
There were a few closely fought ties as well, notably Karnataka’s narrow 3–2 victory over Assam and Uttar Pradesh’s hard-earned 3–2 win against Odisha, adding a touch of drama to otherwise one-sided early rounds.
Meanwhile, the men’s and women’s teams from Ladakh are yet to begin their campaign after arriving a day late owing to flight cancellation.
-PTI
GOLF
Saptak, Dhruv share top spot after round three
Saptak Talwar and Dhruv Sheoran shared the top spot after round three of the DP World PGTI’s USD 300,000 (INR 2.7 crore) Indorama Ventures Open Golf Championship 2026 here on Saturday.
Saptak (68-71-69) and Dhruv (69-69-70) were joint leaders with identical totals of eight-under 208. Saptak’s error-free 69 helped him climb three spots while Dhruv’s 70 saw him jump one position on day three.
Manu Gandas fired a 67, the joint lowest score of the day, to rise 11 positions to third place at seven-under 209.
Aryaman Aditya Mohan also struck the day’s joint lowest of 67 to end the round in tied fourth place at six-under 210 along with Arjun Prasad (69) and Clement Sordet (71) of France.
Saptak, who was overnight tied fourth and two shots off the lead, announced himself as a contender with his flawless round on Saturday.
Talwar, hailing from Greater Noida and a winner on the DP World PGTI last year, made his three birdies from a range of 10 to 20 feet on the fourth, eighth and 12th holes.
Saptak, who last played at Kalhaar in 2023, said, “I’ve been giving myself a lot of looks at birdies. The putter hasn’t cooperated as much as I would’ve liked; however, I kept the errors out with just three bogeys over the first three days. I feel my game is trending in the right direction.
“This course is quite demanding off the tees, and I feel I’ve done well with my tee shots so far.” Dhruv Sheoran, who was overnight third and one shot off the lead, also continued to make steady progress like Saptak. Gurugram-based Sheoran, a winner of three titles, collected four birdies in exchange for two bogeys on Saturday. He drained a few putts from a range of 10 to 15 feet on day three.
Dhruv, part of the Rajasthan Regals team which won DP World PGTI’s 72 The League last week, said, “I stuck to my game plan. I kept telling myself to keep the ball in play. When the wind picked up, I kept the ball under the wind. So, I adapted well to the conditions. I’m excited to contend in round four.
“I will draw on my experiences from 72 The League over the past two weeks. The team competition at the League prepared me well to play in tight situations.” The joint halfway leaders Jhared Hack and Brijesh Kumar returned cards of 74 and 76, respectively, to drop down the leaderboard. While Jhared was placed tied seventh at five- under 211, Brijesh occupied tied 16 th at three-under 213.
-PTI
Published on Mar 14, 2026