Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024: India stuns China 3-2; Sindhu makes winning return

India stunned formidable China 3-2 in the women’s competition of Badminton Asia Team Championships with star shuttler P V Sindhu making a winning return after a four-month injury lay-off here on Wednesday.

With just two teams in Group W, India was already assured of a knock-out round berth even before its opening match but it did it in style with a shock win over the top-seeded Chinese team. P V Sindhu, who was out of action since October last year when she suffered a knee injury at the French Open, led the way as she beat higher-ranked Han Yue 21-17 21-15 in 40 minutes to give India 1-0 lead in the tie.

The 28-year-old double Olympic medallist Indian is currently ranked 11th while Yue is world number eight.

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The pair of Tanisha Castro and Ashwini Ponappa then lost to Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning 19-21 16-21, followed by Ashmita Chaliha’s 13-21 15-21 defeat to world number nine Wang Zhi Yi as India trailed 1-2 after three matches.

India drew level when Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat the Chinese duo of Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min 10-21 21-18 21-17 in one hour and nine minutes in the women’s doubles.

In the deciding match, Anmol Kharb punched way above her weight as the 472nd-ranked Indian emerged 22-20 14-21 21-18 winner over world number 149 Wu Luo Yu in a gruelling one hour and 17 minute contest to give India a memorable win.

The Indian men’s team, which lifted the Thomas Cup in 2022 and secured a first-ever silver medal at last year’s Asian Games, will be up against Hong Kong in a Group A league match on Wednesday.