Glasgow: It was a memorable swansong at the Commonwealth Games for Abhinav Bindra as the ace marksman bagged the 10m Air Rifle gold medal in a gripping finale with young schoolgirl Malaika Goel turning out to be surprise package winning silver in the 10m air pistol event.
After a cracking opening day where they bagged seven medals, it was a relatively quieter day for the Indians as they added a gold, silver and a bronze to their tally.
Apart from the two medals at the shooting range, India won a bronze in the weightlifting through 20-year-old Santoshi Matsa who finished third in the women's 53 kg category.
India's Abhinav Bindra won the gold medal in the 10m air rifle event at the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre on Friday. (Getty Images)
India are currently placed fifth in the medals tally with three gold, four silver and three bronze medals behind England, Australia, Scotland and Canada.
The cynosure of the day certainly was the 31-year-old Bindra, who finally won an individual gold at the quadrennoal extravaganza which had eluded him on four previous attempts.
Bindra, who has already won nine medals including three gold in pairs events, was calmness personified as he did not put a foot wrong in the final round, having finishing third in the qualifications at the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre,Dundee.
Bindra, first Indian Olympic individual gold medallist, shot an aggregate of 205.3 to set a Games Record.
"This is my last Commonwealth Games. Five CWG and nine medals, it is enough for me," Bindra said. It was a well-earned medal because I work hard and I am happy to have achieved the feat. I got the desired result."
Asked if Rio 2016 would be his last Olympics, he said, "I will take on thing at a time. I will decide later. He joked that after retirement he would take up journalism as career. "Journalism is an easy job, I may become a journalist after my shooting career."
Bindra said he would now focus to the World Championships to be held in a few months time.
"I will relax a bit and then prepare for the World Cup," he said.
The 16-year-old Malaika gave India its first shooting medal with a score of 197.1 while favourite Heena Sidhu fell by the wayside at the Barry Buddon Shooting Centre at Dundee.
India's good show in the weightlifting arena continued as young Andhra girl Santoshi grabbed the bronze medal with a total lift of 188 kg in snatch and clean and jerk to get the bronze as 16-year-old Nigerian schoolgirl Chika Amalaha won the gold with a total lift of 196 kg.
India's Swati Singh, who was placed third at the end of the snatch event finished fourth with 183 kg. It was second time that Swati missed out on a podium having finished fourth during the last edition in the last edition.
Santoshi tried a lift of 109 kg on the third clean and jerk attempt but failed. The successful attempt wouldn't have ensured anything more than bronze though as both Amalaha and Toua went on to break the Games Record with a lift of 111 kg each in the clean and jerk section.
Swati, on her part, failed on two attempts to lift 103 kg and 106 kg respectively as she had to settle with a total score of 183 kg.
The Indian men's hockey team launched their campaign on a sluggish note as they toiled hard to register a 3-1 win over a lowly Wales in their opening Pool A match at the National Hockey Centre.
Ranked ninth in the world, India had to dig deep to overcome a resolute Wales defence and pocket full points.
India scored two goals through penalty corner conversions by V R Raghunath (20th minute) and Rupinder Pal Singh (42nd) before comeback man Girvinder Singh Chandi scored from a field effort in the 47th minute.
Wales' lone goal was netted by Andrew Cornick in the 23rd minute from field play.
India will next play hosts Scotland tomorrow, while Wales will be up against world champions and reigning Commonwealth Games champions Australia.
Indian judokas failed to replicate their opening day performance with Sunibala Huidrom missing out on a bronze medal in the women's 70 kg event losing to Sally Conway of Scotland.
Sunibala faced a tough test in the repechage contest but she managed to prevail over Monika Burgess of Canada in a battle that lasted for three minutes and 58 seconds to make the medal round.
However, it was curtains for Garima Choudhary in the women's 63kg category after she went down fighting in her repechage round.
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