NewKerala.com

Key Points

India's junior badminton team put up a spirited fight but narrowly lost 110-104 to Japan in the quarterfinals. The team led for most of the match before Japan’s late surge secured victory. Standout performances came from doubles pairs and Rounak Chouhan, who defeated a top-ranked opponent. The squad now shifts focus to the individual championships starting July 23.

Key Points: India Junior Badminton Team Narrowly Loses 110-104 to Japan in Asia Championships

  • India led early with wins in boys' and girls' doubles
  • Japan staged a late comeback with five straight wins
  • Reshika and Vennala impressed in doubles
  • Rounak Chouhan upset world No. 5 Lam Ka To
2 min read

Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships: India go down fighting by six points in narrow reverse to Japan

India's junior badminton squad fought hard but fell short 110-104 against Japan in the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships quarterfinals.

"India led for a major part of the tie, but Japan, the 2023 champions, pulled ahead in the final stretch. – BAI Release"

Solo, July 21

India's junior badminton team put up a strong fight before going down 110-104 to former champions Japan in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships in Solo, Indonesia, according to a release from BAI.

In a closely contested tie under the relay scoring system, India came out strong after a narrow 11-9 loss in the opening match.

The boys' doubles duo of Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu got India on the board, followed by a composed win from the girls' pair of Vennala Kalagotla and Reshika Uthayasooriyan to put India ahead 33-26.

Reshika then combined with Bhavya Chhabra to maintain the lead at 44-35, and Rounak Chouhan extended the cushion with another solid performance.

India led for a major part of the tie, but Japan, the 2023 champions, pulled ahead in the final stretch, winning the last five matches in a row. Several of those games went down to the wire, reflecting the grit of the Indian squad.

Despite the narrow exit, India had a strong tournament. They topped Group D with wins over Hong Kong China, the United Arab Emirates, and Sri Lanka, showing depth and balance across singles and doubles.

The Bhargav-Viswa Tej and Reshika-Vennala pairings were consistently impressive, while C Lalramsanga also stood out in his doubles outings, paired up with Bhavya for men's doubles and Taarini Suri for the mixed doubles. In singles, Rounak upset world junior No. 5 Lam Ka To, and Rujula Ramu registered wins over two top-20 players.

The focus now shifts to the individual championships starting July 23.

Earlier, India maintained their all-win record in the group stage of the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships in Indonesia by beating Hong Kong China 110-100 in the last Group D clash on Sunday to top the group standings.

India and Hong Kong China had already qualified for the knock-out stage before they faced off on Sunday, but it was important to maintain the winning momentum, and India understandably fielded a strong squad against Hong Kong China.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Heartbreaking loss by just 6 points after leading for so long! But kudos to our team for giving former champions Japan such a tough fight. Rounak Chouhan's performance against world No.5 was exceptional! 💪
S
Sarah B
As a badminton coach, I must say our doubles pairs showed excellent coordination. The relay format is tricky but they adapted well. Just need more mental toughness in crunch situations - that comes with experience.
A
Arjun K
Japan has world-class training facilities while our players often struggle for basic infrastructure. Still they performed so well! Imagine what they could achieve with better support from authorities. #InvestInSports
K
Kavya N
The girls' doubles pair was outstanding! 👏 So proud to see our women shuttlers holding their own against top international players. Reshika and Vennala have great chemistry on court.
V
Vikram M
While the loss hurts, topping the group stage with 3 wins shows our depth. Hope BAI provides continuous support to these juniors - we need to nurture them properly unlike many past talents who faded away.

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50