Asian Games: Indian men’s team lose to China in semis, sign off with bronze

NEW DELHI: The tension inside the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium was palpable as two badminton powerhouses collided for a spot in the men’s team final at the 20th Asian Games.

Having shown the exit door to fourth seeds Japan on Tuesday, Indian shuttlers fought hard, pushing defending champions China to the limit in the high-stakes semi-final which was filled with raw emotion in the Indian dugout.

However, that energy did not materialise on court as second seeds China ultimately claimed a 3–1 victory to advance to the final, where they will face top seeds Indonesia, who defeated Thailand with the exact scoreline in the other last four clash in Ichinomiya.

However, India concluded an important campaign with a hard-fought bronze. The podium finish reinforces India’s standing at the summit of Asian badminton, marking the nation’s fourth successive edition with a badminton medal. This is the Indian men’s team’s fifth medal in the discipline after winning a silver in 2023 and bronze in 1974, 1982 and 1986.

The tie opened with a gruelling singles rubber between India’s top men’s shuttler Lakshya Sen and China’s world No.6 Shi Yuqi. From the opening exchanges, Lakshya set out to test Shi’s endurance, dragging the veteran into long, physically demanding rallies across all four corners of the court.

Seeking openings with sharp movement, Lakshya repeatedly targeted the sidelines with explosive down-the-line smashes to stay toe-to-toe with his opponent. However, Shi’s veteran poise proved decisive during the high-pressure closing stages of both games.

Anticipating Lakshya’s attacks at key moments and dominating the net exchanges, Shi held firm to claim a 21-16, 21-18 victory, giving China an early 1–0 lead. This was Lakshya’s fifth loss in seven meetings against the former world champion.

Refusing to let the momentum slip away, India roared back in the second match behind a doubles masterclass from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty. Facing China’s star pairing and reigning world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang, the Indian duo put on an absolute clinical display in flat and aggressive doubles play.

Chirag locked down the front court early, smothering Wang’s sharp interceptions at the net and setting up high-percentage attacking chances. From the back court, Satwik unleashed thunderous smashes down the centre, forcing rotational errors and breaking down the Chinese defense.

By maintaining a relentless flat trajectory, the Indian pair neutralised China’s counterattacking capabilities to secure a commandingly played 21-11, 22-20 win. The victory marked their fifth career win over Liang and Wang in 15 meetings, leveling the overall tie at 1–1.

China restored its lead in the third match through a hard-fought second singles fixture featuring Indian prodigy Ayush Shetty against Li Shi Feng, who will be defending the men’s singles crown at the Asiad later when individual competitions begin.

Using his impressive height and reach to create sharp and steep angles, Ayush produced bright moments of inspiration, keeping the opening set on a knife’s edge with bold attacking strokes.

Despite Ayush’s fearless display, Li’s clinical consistency and steady court coverage held firm when the game hung in the balance. Li edged the tight opener before taking control in the second game, completing a 21-19, 21-13 victory to push China ahead 2–1.

The tie reached a dramatic conclusion in the second doubles rubber where India’s second pair Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun battled China’s decorated duo but scratch pair of He Ji Ting and Liu Yi.

Playing with heart and courage under heavy pressure, the Indian pair rebounded after losing the first game 16-21. Arjun and Hariharan dictated the mid-court exchanges in the second game, seizing the initiative to win 21-17 and force a decider.

However, the Chinese pair elevated their pace, taking control of the critical net exchanges to run away with a 21-9 win, closing out the match and sealing a 3-1 overall victory for China.