PV Sindhu wins maiden CWG gold with win over Michelle Li
Birmingham(PTI): India's sporting icon PV Sindhu added a Commonwealth Singles gold to her wide array of medals with a convincing straight-game win over Canada's Michelle Li in the final here on Monday.
The world number seven from India outplayed her 13th ranked opponent 21-15 , 21-13 in front of a packed crowd at the NEC arena.
The 30-year-old had to produce something special for her first win against Sindhu in eight years but the Indian did not give her a window.
Sindhu was clinical in her short game and pounced on the slightest of attacking opportunities.
Michelle had beaten the 2019 World Champion way back in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in 2014.
In the first game, Michelle was trying to get points by playing close to the net while Sindhu was the more attacking one. A smash on Li's left made it 7-5 before the Canadian came with a drop shot on Sindhu's right to make it 7-6.
Sindhu took three straight points after the interval to stretch her lead to 14-8. Michelle then netted a regulation forehand drop, leaving her smiling in frustration.
Michelle did come up with two consecutive backhand winners for 14-17 but Sindhu bagged the first game with a swat shot on the Candian's body.
The Hyderabadi took a 4-2 lead in the second with a brilliant retrieve off her body and was cruising 11-6 at the interval.
The crowd sensed a comeback from Michelle who won the longest rally of the match with a forehand winner. Sindhu however shut the door on her and completed a fine win with a cross court winner.
"I had been waiting for this gold for a long time and finally I have got it. I am super happy. Thanks to the crowd, they made me win today," said Sindhu after the final.
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MP cruise boat tragedy: Death toll rises to nine; search ops continue at Bargi Dam
Jabalpur (PTI): The death toll in the Bargi Dam tragedy rose to nine on Friday, as rescuers recovered the bodies of five more persons who were on the cruise boat that overturned in the reservoir in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur.
Talking to PTI Videos, Madhya Pradesh Tourism Minister Dharmendra Bhav Singh Lodhi said, "Four bodies were recovered on Thursday, while five were found in the early hours during the rescue operation, taking the toll to nine."
As many as 22 people have been rescued so far, he said.
The minister said that a thorough probe will be conducted, and the issue of life jackets, raised by one of the survivors, will also be investigated.
The rescue operation is underway in full swing to trace the missing persons, Lodhi said.
A cruise boat with 29 passengers and two crew members onboard overturned in the Bargi Dam after encountering a sudden storm on Thursday evening, officials said.
The Bargi Dam is constructed on the Narmada River in Jabalpur district.
A search and rescue operation for the missing passengers continued overnight with teams from the Army, NDRF and SDRF joining in, State PWD Minister Rakesh Singh said.
Hydraulic cranes are being used to pull out the cruise boat from the water body, he said.
According to eyewitnesses, strong winds made the water choppy, prompting many on board to raise an alarm and ask the crew to steer the boat back to the banks.
However, the crew was unable to hear these shouts, and the boat drifted and then overturned, they said, adding that some locals rescued a few passengers wearing life jackets with the help of a rope.
