India women opened the title defence in style at the Badminton Asia Team Championships with a resounding 5-0 win in their opening Group Y tie against Myanmar in Qingdao, China, on Wednesday.
The defending champions made their intentions clear with a dominating victory, albeit it came against a minnow nation.
Tanvi Sharma started off the proceedings in stunning fashion and took just 32 minutes to breeze past Thet Htar Thuzar 21-13, 21-16. Rakshitha Sree Santhosh Ramraj, who was the second player to take the court, defeated Eaint Chit Phoo 21-12, 21-6 in a one-sided second singles game to take a 2-0 lead.
Bansod caps off dominating day in singles
Malvika Bansod clinched the match for India with a 21-19, 21-12 win against Lin Lin Htet 21-19, 21-12 in the third singles.
The Indians continued to pile more misery on the hapless Myanmar side and continued their domination in the doubles category, claiming victories in both matches in straight games.
While Priya Konjengbam and Shruti Mishra defeated Su Latt and Thet Htar Thuzar 21-15, 21-16, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand enjoyed an untroubled outing against Htet and Phoo 21-8, 21-6.
Next up for India will be a rematch of the 2025 final against Thailand in their second group match on Thursday.
India are without the services of their most experienced and successful player, PV Sindhu. The two-time Olympic medallist withdrew from the 2026 Badminton Asia Team Championships 2026 following a minor medical concern. India couldn’t name a replacement for Sindhu as the deadline for squad changes passed at the time of her announcement.
Meanwhile, the Indian men’s team has been placed in Group C alongside fourth seeds Japan and Singapore. The squad will be led by an experienced trio of Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy and Kidambi Srikanth in the singles category, while in doubles, the seasoned pairing of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will spearhead India’s challenge.