•
•
•
•
•
•
•
India’s campaign in the Asian Games 2026 men’s team badminton event ended with a bronze medal after China secured a 3-1 victory in the semifinal at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
India entered the semifinal after an impressive quarterfinal victory over Japan, where Lakshya Sen, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, and Ayush Shetty helped the team secure a podium finish.
However, China proved too strong in the semifinal and advanced to the final for a third consecutive Asian Games.
The tie began with a heavyweight singles battle between Lakshya Sen and China’s Shi Yu Qi.
Sen fought hard but could not overcome the Chinese shuttler, losing the opening match 21-16, 21-18. The result gave China an early 1-0 advantage and put pressure on India’s doubles specialists.
The Indian team needed a response, and it came from its star doubles combination.
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty produced an important performance against China’s Wang Chang and Liang Weikeng.
The Indian pair dominated the opening game, winning 21-11. The second game was much closer, but Satwik and Chirag held their nerve to win 22-20.
The 2-0 victory levelled the overall team tie at 1-1, giving India renewed hope of reaching the Asian Games final.
India’s next singles player was Ayush Shetty, who faced China’s Li Shi Feng.
Shetty fought hard in the opening game, but Li eventually prevailed 21-19. The Chinese shuttler then controlled the second game and won 21-13.
With that victory, China moved 2-1 ahead and left India needing to win the second doubles match to keep its gold-medal hopes alive.
India turned to Hariharan Amsakarunan and Arjun Madathil for the crucial fourth match.
The Indian pair lost the opening game 16-21, but responded strongly in the second, winning 21-17 and forcing a deciding game.
China’s Ji Ting He and Yi Liu, however, regained control in the decider. They won the third game 21-9, completing China's 3-1 semifinal victory.
Despite the semifinal defeat, India will leave the Asian Games 2026 badminton competition with a bronze medal.
The result also means India has won medals in the men's team badminton event at consecutive Asian Games. India had taken silver at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games, where China also defeated the Indian team in the final.
China, meanwhile, moves into the final for the third consecutive Asian Games, continuing its strong record in the men's team competition.
India's men's badminton team may have missed the final, but the bronze medal gives the country another podium finish in Asian Games 2026 badminton. The focus now shifts to the individual events, with Indian shuttlers looking for further medal opportunities in Aichi-Nagoya.
