- By Manik Sharma
- Fri, 29 Sep 2023 06:41 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
The Indian men's badminton team delivered a strong performance, securing a convincing 3-0 victory over Nepal in the Asian Games quarterfinals at BJ Gymnasium in Hangzhou.
The win not only advanced India to the semifinals but also assured them of a medal at the Asian Games for the first time since 1986. India has never clinched a gold or silver men's team medal at the Asian Games.
Having received a bye in the first round, Lakshya Sen initiated the action for India, dominating Prince Dahal with a 21-5 victory in the first game. The second game witnessed Lakshya's supremacy as he secured a substantial 21-8 win. This swift performance allowed him to wrap up the match in just 22 minutes.
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In the second match, Kidambi Srikanth faced Sunil Joshi, clinching the first game with ease at 21-4. However, Joshi put up a fight in the second game, but Srikanth ultimately prevailed with a score of 21-13, securing the match in 31 minutes.
The third match saw Mithun Manjunath dominating with a 21-2, 21-7 victory in just 25 minutes.
While India dominated the contest with three singles victories, the men's doubles pairs of M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila, as well as Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, didn't see action.
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On the other hand, the Indian women's badminton team experienced a disappointing quarter-final loss to Thailand. The Team in Blue suffered a 3-0 defeat in the knockout match.
The Indian women's team was up against a formidable Thai squad, which included former world champion Ratchanok Intanon, world no. 12 Pornpawee Chochuwong, and world no. 17 Supanida Katethong.
In the initial contest, PV Sindhu faced a defeat against Pornpawee Chochuwong. Subsequently, in the second and third matches, the Indian duo of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, as well as Ashmita Chaliha, also encountered losses.
Sindhu, currently ranked 15th in the world, started strongly, taking an early lead. However, World no. 12 Chochuwong staged a remarkable comeback, winning the next two games.
The Indian Men's team is set to face South Korea in the Asian Games 2023 semifinals on September 30 at 5:00 PM IST, following South Korea's 3-1 victory over the last edition's silver medalist, Indonesia.
