AVC Men's Cup 2026: India go down fighting in semi-final against Indonesia
(Courtesy : Volleyball World)
The hosts will now play for third-place finish
The Indian men’s volleyball team fought tooth and nail for every point, before going down in a nail-biting five-setter against Indonesia in the semi-final of the AVC Men’s Cup 2026 at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Amdavad on Saturday.
The scoreline, which read as 25-15 24-26 20-25 25-19 13-15, depicted how close the match was.
The Dragan Mihailovic coached side entered the fixture as favourites, having won all five of their matches in the pool stage.
In fact, they had dropped just a single set, against Chinese Taipei in the third match. All the other victories- against New Zealand, Kazakhstan, Bahrain and Australia were spotless.
The pool A table toppers began the knockout match on the right note too, winning the first set by a huge margin of 25-15. The second one turned out to be a much closer affair. It ebbed and flowed, and the hosts saved two set points too.
Overall, however, their poor service combined with some attacking play by Indonesia, cost them the set 24-26.
Indonesia, World Number #49, carried the momentum into the next set, winning it 20-25, although it is worth noting that India was very much in the reckoning for large parts.
Things continued to look bleak in the fourth set as well, as they again trailed 6-10. What followed was an inspired performance, with libero Anand and Joel at the net putting on a heroic display.
The side continued to gain control by the passing minute. Cheered on vociferously by the home crowd, India won the last five points of the set to clinch it 25-19.
Related: India vs Indonesia semi-final Highlights & Replay, AVC Men’s Cup 2026
The Jerome-led side then started the decider on the right note, leading 4-1. However, Indonesia clawed back to level it at five apiece. From thereon, they managed to maintain a stranglehold.
India, to their credit, tried to make sure that the deficit was always under control. At 12-13, a net touch went against the home side, much to the disappointment of the unaware home crowd who had started celebrating.
While the first match point was saved, the Southeast Asian team held their nerve to pocket the set and the match.
This is a heartbreaking loss for the Indians, who were in large parts the better team. However, their inability to grab hold of the decisive moments put them on the wrong side.
They will be back for the third-place classification match, against Bahrain, who went down 1-3 against South Korea in the other semi-final.
Irrespective of that result, India would be tremendously proud of this campaign, which has seen them break into the top 50 of the World Volleyball Rankings, to number #42—the team’s highest position in over a decade.
It has also made heads turn and take notice—as testified by the packed crowd at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex and the 2L+ viewers who had tuned into watch the encounter live on the Volleyball World YouTube channel.
What was the result of the India vs Indonesia clash in AVC Men’s Cup 2026?
Indonesia fought back from a set down to defeat India 3-2 and advance to the final of the tournament. Indonesia won 15-25, 26-24, 25-20, 19-25, 15-13.
Who will Indonesia face in the final of AVC Men’s Cup 2026?
Indonesia will face South Korea in the title match on Sunday.
Who will India face in the 3rd-4th place playoff match at AVC Men’s Cup 2026?
India will meet the other losing semi-finalist Bahrain in the 3rd-place playoff match on Sunday.
For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram
Kartik Warrier, a B.Tech Mechanical Engineering student at IIT Madras, is an ardent sports enthusiast. Through Khel Now, he gets to pursue his passion by closely following Indian athletes in sports like cricket, football, badminton, hockey, and table tennis.