On Wednesday, India shocked China 3-2 in the women’s badminton Asia Team Championships, marking the comeback from the injury of two-time Olympic medalist P V Sindhu. Despite having been guaranteed a ticket in the knockout phase, India left its imprint by triumphing over the Chinese team ranked first.
India led 1-0 after Sindhu, who hasn’t played since October because of a knee injury, defeated Han Yue 21-17, 21-15. Ranked 11th, Sindhu outplayed world number eight Yue. Ashmita Chaliha lost to Wang Zhi Yi, behind 1-2, and Tanisha Castro/Ashwini Ponappa lost, both causing setbacks for India.
Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand defeated Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min to tie the match for India. In the deciding match, Anmol Kharb, ranked 472nd, defeated Wu Luo Yu 22-20 14-21 21-18, securing India’s memorable win.
India, the current Thomas Cup champions, triumphed against Hong Kong in the men’s division. In the doubles division, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty prevailed, while Lakshya Sen defeated Chan Yin Chak. After M R Arjun and Dhruv Kapila’s victories, India led 3-1, and Kidambi Srikanth’s victory over Jason Gunawan completed the victory.
