Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024: Anmol Kharb stars once again to help Indian women's team beat Japan and enter maiden final

India’s Anmol Kharb was the star once again as the Indian women’s team entered their first-ever final at the Badminton Asia Team Championships after beating two-time champions Japan 3-2 in a thrilling semifinal on Saturday, February 17.

Anmol Kharb, Ashmita Chaliha, and the doubles duo of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand all secured hard-fought victories to assure India of a silver medal at the championships.

A closer look at India’s women’s team's semifinal against Japan at the Badminton Asia Team Championships 2024

India’s two-time Olympic medalist, PV Sindhu, took to court in the first match of the tie. The Indian shuttler, who is returning to action after a long-term knee injury, has had a good tournament so far, winning both of her previous two matches. However, in the semifinals, Sindhu was outplayed by Japan’s Aya Ohori. The left-handed shuttler from Japan beat Sindhu in straight sets, winning 13-21, 20-22, in 48 minutes.

In the second match of the tie, India’s ace doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand showcased their brilliance by beating their much higher-ranked opponents from Japan. The World No. 6 Japanese pair of Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida went down 17-21 in the first set but quickly turned things around and took the next game 21-16.

In the decider, Jolly and Gopichand had a lead almost throughout the match, and the Indian pair narrowly got the better of Shida and Matsuyama, wrapping things up at 22-20. The final score of the match was 21-17, 16-21, 22-20 in favor of the Indian pair.

With things level at 1-1, India’s Ashmita Chaliha took on former world champion Nozomi Okuhara in the third match of the tie. The upcoming Indian shuttler from Assam played accurate shots and incredibly long rallies.

The Indian also kept her composure and did not let the stature of her opponent’s achievements get the better of her. Chaliha took 43 minutes to get the better of the World No. 20 shuttler with a score of 21-17, 21-14, and give India the lead.

The fourth match witnessed a rather unexpected lineup. India’s singles star, PV Sindhu, was seen partnering up with Ashwini Ponnappa in the second doubles match of the tie.

Ashwini’s usual partner, Tanisha Crasto, suffered a small niggle, and much to everyone’s surprise, Sindhu was seen taking her place instead of the other reserve doubles players India had in the squad. Ponnappa and Sindhu lacked coordination, and the duo was comfortably beaten by Rena Miyaura and Ayako Sakuramoto, 14-21, 11-21.

The final match of the tie saw 17-year-old Anmol Kharb take on World No. 29, Natsuki Nidaria. Kharb, who displayed her potential by causing a big upset by beating China’s Wu Luo Yu in the final match of their group stage tie, continued to showcase her spectacular abilities, playing a game much beyond her years.

The young girl from Haryana did not seem to be fazed by the big occasion and quickly racked up points by playing long rallies and forcing a mistake from her opponent. She played a stable game right throughout and eventually triumphed in straight games with a final score of 21-14, 21-18, ensuring India a historic silver medal at the prestigious tournament.

India will now take on Thailand in the final on Sunday, February 18.