Hangzhou/UNI: The Indian mens team entered their maiden final in the Asian Games badminton with a 3-2 win over South Korea in the semifinals here on Saturday.
HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, and Kidambi Srikanth won their matches to help India book a date in the final against the hosts China on Sunday.
The onus was on former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth to put India into the final after the tie ended 2-2 after four sets. World championships medallists Prannoy and Lakshya put India in the hunt with the much-needed victories in their respective matches.
The Chirag Shetty-Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Dhruv Kapila-MR Arjun combos failed to register wins in their respective matches.
Update: #Badminton? at #AsianGames2022
HISTORIC! For the 1st time ever, ?? Mens Team advances to the Finals taking down ??. We are only one step away from the #Gold?Medal now?
Meet the team: @PRANNOYHSPRI, @lakshya_sen , @satwiksairaj, @Shettychirag04, @arjunmr, pic.twitter.com/Qcu70mmdja
SAI Media (@Media_SAI) September 30, 2023
India will be going into the final against China after clinching the Thomas Cup and boasting of having excelled in pressure situation matches.
Prannoy got off India to a kicker with an 18-21, 21-16, 21-19 victory over South Koreas Hyeokjin Jeon.
Prannoy, a bronze medal winner at this years BWF world championships and Indias top-ranked player at world No. 7, came back from a game down against the world No. 47 Korean.
Mandatory ??pic.twitter.com/cwdSzyQciB
BAI Media (@BAI_Media) September 30, 2023
Indias mens doubles pair of Chirag and Satwiksairaj stepped onto the badminton court next to build on Indias initial lead.
However, the world No. 3 pair was handed a setback as Kang Min Hyuk and Seo Seung Jae, the world champions who are ranked one place below the Indians, clinched the match 21-13, 26-24.
Commonwealth Games champion Lakshya, world No. 14, restored Indias slender lead with a comfortable 21-9, 21-8 win over world No. 119 Yun Gyu Lee.
However, South Korea erased Indias advantage after the mens doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and MR Arjun, 42nd in the badminton rankings, lost to the world No. 49 duo of Wonho Kim and NA Sungseung 21-16, 21-11.
World No. 21 Kidambi Srikanth, who has not had the best of 2023 so far, shouldered the responsibility in the do-or-die contest and delivered the result for India with a 12-21, 21-16, 21-14 win over world No. 163 Geonyeop Cho.
As semifinalists in badminton events at the Asian Games won bronze, the Indian mens team was already assured of a medal with a 3-0 win over Nepal in the quarter-finals.
India last won a mens team medal at the Asian Games 37 years ago. The squad, led by Syed Modi, clinched bronze at Seoul 1986.
The badminton team events at Hangzhou 2023 will continue till October 1. The singles, doubles and mixed doubles events will start from October 2.
