Indian women's badminton team pulled off a stunning 3-2 win against Japan to reach the final of the Badminton Asia Team Championship 2024 on Saturday. Youngsters Anmol Kharb and Ashmita Chaliha registered impressive wins to boost India to their first-ever final appearance in tournament history.
The star badminton ace PV Sindhu lost her both singles and doubles matches in the semifinal but youngsters Gayatri Gopichand-Treesa Jolly, Ashmita Chaliha and Anmol Kharb were top of their game to stun Japan. India will be facing Thailand women in the final on Sunday who defeated the defending champions Indonesia in the second semifinal.
PV Sindhu lost her singles match against Aya Ohori by 17-21, 20-22 and then India lost women's doubles (Ashwini/Sindhu) against Rena Ayako by 14-21, 11-21. But unexpected triumphs from youngsters created history in Shah Alam, Malaysia.
Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly, ranked 32, stunned world no.6 pair Nami Matsuyama-Chiharu Shida by 21-17, 16-21, 22-20. The 24-year-old Ashmita Chaliha defeated the world no.20 Nozomi Okuhara in two straight sets of 21-17, 22-14 to level the score.
But it was a 17-year-old Anmol Kharb, ranked 472, pulled off an impossible to beat the world no.29 Natsuki Nidaira by 21-14, 21-18 to take India women's team to the final of the Badminton Asia Team Championship 2024.
Team India's head coach and the former ace Pullela Gopichand praised Anmol Kharb's heroics in the semi-final and said that the youngster can beat top players due to her fearless gameplay.
"I think the result of the two matches is a testimony that she can beat top players," Gopichand told PTI. "To take the pressure on and show that kind of nerve, it is very refreshing. She is fearless. The kind of strokes that she plays, it all come naturally to her. She is reading the game well, you can see her intelligence. She played beautifully. Of course, opponents will read her game in time and that's where she needs to rework on her mistakes but she has been phenomenal. She fought really well and she is naturally brave and intelligent."
