New Delhi: The ninth-seeded Indian team was stunned 0-3 by a lower-ranked Scotland before it bounced back to blank Venezuela by the same margin in the qualifying event of the World Team Squash Championships in Odense, Denmark.
Seeded outside the top 16, Scotland featured players ranked much below the Indians but Ritwik Bhattacharya, Gaurav Nandrajog and Harinder Pal Sandhu lost their pool openers before staging a comeback.
The defeat to Scotland means India must now beat tournament favourites Italy today to have a chance of finishing second in the pool and getting into the top 16 playoffs, which would ensure them an easier draw and valuable ranking points.
As many as 28 nations are competing in the qualifying event divided into seven groups which will finally produce a team order from 1-28.
Bureau Report
First Published: Tuesday, September 29, 2009, 15:23