Asian Games 2023: Indian men's badminton team beat South Korea to enter maiden gold medal match

Published at :October 1, 2023 at 1:05 PM

Modified at :December 13, 2023 at 1:01 PM

(Courtesy : Screenshot/Sony LIV)

India have secured at least a historic silver by reaching the final.

A historic achievement for the Indian men's badminton team at the Asian Games 2023. They are assured of a silver medal by defeating South Korea 3-2 in the semifinals, marking the first time that an Indian badminton team has reached the final of the Asian Games.

This momentous victory ends a 37-year wait for a team medal in men's badminton at the Asian Games. The last time India achieved such a feat was back in 1986, with Prakash Padukone and Syed Modi winning a bronze in Seoul.

It's worth noting that this is only the second time India will secure atleast a silver medal in badminton at the Asian Games, with the previous instance occurring in Jakarta in 2018 when PV Sindhu finished as the runner-up in the women's singles event. This achievement highlights the remarkable progress and success of Indian badminton on the international stage.

The semifinals match between India and South Korea was an intense battle that unfolded in a nail-biting fashion. HS Prannoy's victory in the men's singles gave India an initial lead, but the World No. 3 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty suffered defeat againt SEO and Seung, leaving the score line at 1-1.

Lakshya Sen then stepped up to regain the lead for India with a straightforward victory. However, the equilibrium was restored when the men's doubles team of Dhruv Kapila and Arjun Ramachandran suffered a straight-game loss. The deciding match between former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth and World No. 163 Geonyeop Cho took a tense turn as Srikanth lost the first game.

It appeared that India was in a precarious position, but Srikanth displayed remarkable character by winning the second game. In a fiercely contested battle, Srikanth emerged victorious, turning the tide in India's favor. This thrilling victory has set up a grand finale with hosts China, as the Indian men's badminton team looks to create history in the Asian Games.