In view of the tougher matches ahead, India preferred to rest Chetan Anand and test P. Kashyap against lesser-rated Barbados en route to an expected 5-0 triumph in the Commonwealth Games badminton competition at the Siri Fort Complex here on Tuesday.
For the second successive day, stronger teams continued to hold sway in the league phase.
India, set to play Wales and Scotland on Wednesday before the key knockout battles, was never expected to be stretched by Barbados.
It needed just 68 minutes to brush aside the visiting team without dropping a game.
Kashyap, facing Colin Nicholas, had trouble with the lights during his 17-minute triumph, 21-14, 21-6.
“It is bright out there, so it was a little different playing for the first time.
“I made some mistakes but later on, it was easy,” said Kashyap, who took the court after Jwala Gutta and V. Diju gave the Indians a winning start.
Double quick time
The formidable mixed doubles pair thrashed Jonathan Thorpe and Latoya Shari 21-3, 21-8 in just 11 minutes.
Saina Nehwal, playing for the second successive day to get acclimatised to the speed of the shuttles, spent only 13 minutes on the court while dismissing Ayanna Mariama 21-3, 21-6.
“From tomorrow it would get tough, so I just tried to play all my strokes. I moved well on the court and adjusted better to the conditions today,” said Saina.
The men's pair of Sanave Thomas and Rupesh Kumar needed only 14 minutes to race away to a 21-4, 21-9 victory over Colin Nicholas and Jonathan Dakell.
“It was an easy match. Wales and Scotland have a good team and we would look to top the group so that we can avoid England,” said Rupesh.
