Putul Sonowal Commonwealth Games 2026: India got off to a bold start in the Glasgow Commonwealth Games as Putul Sonowal pulled off a big upset in Lawn Bowls Men’s Singles. He beat Canada’s Ryan Bester, the 2023 world champion, in a tie-break on Thursday. Sonowal was playing his first Commonwealth Games, and he showed a lot of calm under pressure. He won the first set 5-4, but Bester fought back well and took the second set 7-3. That forced the match into a tie-break. In the end, the Assam player held his nerve and sealed a memorable win in Section D. He will now play Cecil Alexander of the Falkland Islands in his next match on Friday.
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Bester is a very experienced player and has won many big medals over the years. He took bronze in Men’s Singles at the 2006 CWG. Later, he won silver medals in the 2014 and 2018 editions.
He has also done very well at the World Outdoor Championships. He has seven medals there in Singles and Pairs, including a gold and a bronze in the 2023 edition. In 2025, he was also added to the first World Bowls Hall of Fame class. So Sonowal’s win was a very big one for India.
Women’s pairs also fight hard
India also had a tense win in the Women’s Pairs event. Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh beat Malta in a tie-break after a close match. The Indian pair started very well and won the first set 7-1 in Section B at the Scottish Event Campus, Hall 3. That gave them a 1-0 lead. But the Maltese team of Rebecca Louise Rixon and Connie-Leigh Rixon came back strongly and took the second set 4-3. That meant the match also had to be decided in a tie-break.
The final moments were very tight. India was behind for a while, but Pinki came through with a fine last bowl and helped the team win. The pair showed good patience and control in a tough finish. India now plays South Africa in its second Section B match on Friday.
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Good Sign for India’s Bowls Team
There was also some important background to this result. In bowls, the “skip” is the team captain and usually the most experienced player. The skip makes the main game plan and also plays the last two bowls of each end. The “lead” is the first player to bowl and also places the mat. This player tries to place the bowls as close to the target as possible before the skip takes over.
Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh are not new to big events. Both were part of the Women’s Fours team that won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games. But this time, the Glasgow Games do not include the Men’s and Women’s Fours events. Only Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles, Men’s Pairs and Women’s Pairs are being played in the bowls competition.
India had also won a silver in Men’s Fours at the 2022 Birmingham Games, which adds more weight to the country’s past success in this sport.
