Rupa Rani Tirkey and Pinki Singh suffered India's first defeat at the Commonwealth Games 2026 women's pairs lawn bowls competition, going down to Namibia's Amanda Steenkamp and Diana Viljoen in a dramatic Group B contest in Glasgow on Sunday, 26 July. The Indian duo squandered a commanding early lead, were forced into a tiebreak, and ultimately lost the decider 3-0.

How India Lost Control of the Opening Set

India made a blistering start, racing to a 5-0 lead through the first two ends. Rupa consistently placed her bowls close to the jack, while Pinki produced a tactical masterstroke — positioning her final bowl behind the kitty as protection against a Namibian drive. Namibia's Diana Viljoen could not disturb the setup.

The momentum shifted from the third end onwards. Namibia found its rhythm after India's attempts to move the jack failed, with Amanda Steenkamp and Viljoen cutting the deficit to 5-2. Two more points in the fourth end reduced the gap to 5-4, before a three-shot fifth end — sparked by Steenkamp's opening delivery settling right beside the jack — handed Namibia the opening set 7-5.

India's Dominant Second Set

The Indian pair responded with an emphatic second-set display. Rupa opened with two excellent deliveries, Pinki added two perfectly weighted bowls, and India raced to 4-0 after the first end. The advantage grew to 7-0 after the second end as Namibia struggled to find any rhythm.

Namibia managed a solitary point in the third end, but Pinki delivered one of the match's defining moments in the penultimate end — driving directly into the jack to rescue a difficult situation and push India to 8-1. Two more points in the final end sealed the second set 10-1, sending the contest into a tiebreak.

Tiebreak Heartbreak for India

The decider proved tense. Viljoen's penultimate delivery left India needing a perfect final bowl to survive. Pinki's last attempt ran beyond the target, handing Namibia a 3-0 tiebreak victory and ending India's unbeaten run in the competition.

Qualification Picture: India Still in the Race

Despite the defeat, India's knockout hopes remained intact. England also lost their tiebreak to South Africa in the other Group B fixture, keeping the group standings tight. India and England will now face each other in a winner-takes-all clash later in the day, with a place in the knockout stage on the line. Notably, this is the first time India have dropped a set in the competition, underlining how competitive the Group B field has been.