Hangzhou, October 1, 2023: The Indian men’s badminton team clinched the silver medal at the 19th Asian Games after a hard-fought final where they narrowly lost to the defending champions, China, with a score of 2-3.
This remarkable achievement marked India’s first-ever silver medal in the men’s team event at the prestigious continental meet. It was also a historic moment as India secured a medal in the men’s team event at the Asian Games after 37 years, with the last medal dating back to the 1986 Seoul edition. Legendary players like Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi led the team during that era.
In the final showdown against the reigning champions, India felt the absence of their top singles player, H.S. Prannoy, who was sidelined due to an injury he sustained in the semifinal victory against South Korea the previous day. In Prannoy’s absence, Mithun Manjunath took his place but lost to China’s Hongyang Weng in the fifth match.
India’s journey to the final was marked by exceptional performances. Lakshya Sen kicked off the campaign with a thrilling victory over world No. 6 Shi Yuqi, winning 22-20, 14-21, 21-18. The men’s doubles duo of Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy continued India’s momentum by securing a 21-15, 21-18 victory against the world No. 2 Chinese pair, Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang, giving India an early 2-0 lead.
However, China mounted a strong comeback, leveling the gold medal tie 2-2. Li Shifeng defeated former world No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth 24-22, 21-9, and the Chinese men’s pair of Liu Yuchen and Ou Xuanyi claimed a dominant 21-6, 21-5 win against India’s Dhruv Kapila and Sai Pratheek.
In the decisive fifth match, Mithun Manjunath was unable to secure a victory, suffering a 6-21, 15-21 loss. Consequently, India narrowly missed out on the gold medal, settling for a well-deserved silver.
Badminton events at the Asian Games 2023 will continue with the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles events, commencing on October 2.
