The Indian men’s badminton team cruised into the quarterfinals at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after they trounced Bangladesh 3-0 on September 21. India will face hosts Japan on September 22 at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium, where a win will confirm a medal for India.
India, the silver medallists of the previous edition held in Hangzhou, China, made light work of Bangladesh. Lakshya Sen defeated Jaman Ayman Ibn 21-4, 21-12 to give India a flying start.
Ayush Shetty, playing the second men’s singles match of the tie, defeated Gourab Singha 21-4, 21-13. Kidambi Srikanth wrapped up the contest with a 21-15, 21-9 win over Jumar Al-Amin.
The 3-0 win meant the country’s top men’s doubles duo of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty did not have to turn up, nor did the second-choice pair of MR Arjun and Hariharan Amsakarunan.
India’s real test, however, will come in the quarterfinals.
Japan, chasing their first men’s team gold since the 1998 Asian Games, boasts an all-round team. In men’s singles, they have strong options in Kodai Naraoka, Kenta Nishimoto and Yushi Tanaka. In the men’s doubles segment, the 2021 world champions Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi provide Japan with a solid option.
Koki Watanabe and Yuta Watanabe will also pose a serious challenge to India. But given India’s strength in both men’s singles and men’s doubles, this battle will be evenly placed.
In Ayush, Lakshya and Srikanth, India have strong men’s singles options, whereas Satwik-Chirag, fresh from winning the China Masters, will make India firm favourites. With Arjun and Hariharan showing intent to soar, India will be better off to win the tie. But Japan, backed by the home crowd and the players’ understanding of the local conditions, will look to play spoilsport.
With the core of India’s silver-medal-winning team from the 2023 Asian Games playing in Japan, they will look for a deeper finish in the tournament. In the 2023 Asian Games, India won a medal in the event after 37.