- India secured bronze medal, defeated 3-1 by China.
- Lakshya Sen lost opener, but Satwik-Chirag then leveled.
- China secured victory winning two subsequent crucial matches.
- This marks India’s second consecutive team medal in badminton.
Asian Games 2026: India’s men’s badminton team finished with a bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 after China secured a 3-1 victory in the semifinal on Wednesday.
The result means India will return home with a team medal for the second successive Asian Games, having won silver in Hangzhou in 2023.
China had also stopped India in the final of the previous edition, making Wednesday’s semifinal another setback against their familiar continental rivals.
Lakshya Sen Unable To Give India Early Lead
Lakshya Sen was given the difficult task of opening the tie against China’s world No. 6 Shi Yu Qi.
The Indian, ranked 14th in the world, struggled to reproduce the form that had helped India reach the last four. Shi Yu Qi controlled the contest and won 21-16, 21-18 to put China 1-0 ahead.
That left India needing a response in the opening doubles match to prevent China from gaining a decisive advantage.
Satwik-Chirag Bring India Back
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty delivered exactly that response against world champions Liang Wei Keng and Wang Chang.
The Indian pair produced an authoritative performance to defeat the Chinese duo 21-11, 22-20.
The victory levelled the semifinal at 1-1 and briefly shifted the momentum towards India. Satwik and Chirag’s win also came against the Paris Olympic silver medallists.
With the tie evenly poised, the third match became crucial for both teams.
Ayush Shetty Falls Short
India turned to Ayush Shetty for the third match, with the youngster facing China’s world No. 12 Li Shi Feng.
Shetty, ranked 20th, stayed competitive during the opening game but could not maintain the same level across the contest.
Li Shi Feng eventually secured a 21-19, 21-13 victory, putting China 2-1 ahead and leaving India facing elimination from the gold-medal contest.
India now needed to win the second doubles match to keep the semifinal alive.
China Seal Victory Despite India’s Fight
Hariharan Amsakarunan and MR Arjun took on He Ji Ting and Liu Yi with India’s place in the final on the line.
The Indian pair managed to force the contest into a deciding game after taking the second 21-17, but China finished strongly to win 21-16, 17-21, 21-9.
The victory sent China into the final with a 3-1 semifinal win and ended India’s hopes of reaching the gold-medal match.
Despite the defeat, India secured back-to-back Asian Games team medals for the first time in four decades. The achievement matches the bronze-medal finishes recorded by India’s men’s badminton team in 1982 and 1986.
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