Guwahati, Oct 9: India secured a historic achievement at the BWF World Junior Mixed Team Championships in Guwahati by defeating Korea o.
This victory assured them of their first-ever mixed team medal. The match, held here at the National Centre of Excellence, was intense and lasted nearly three hours.
The quarterfinal clash against Korea was a test of endurance and strategy for India. After a challenging start, India managed to win 44-45, 45-30, 45-33. This victory set up a semi-final encounter with Indonesia, the Asian U-19 Mixed Team champions, who had earlier defeated Chinese Taipei with identical scores of 45-35 in both sets.
India’s team strategy heavily relied on their singles players to counter Korea’s strong doubles lineup. In the first set, Bhargav Ram Arigela and Viswa Tej Gobburu lost 5-9 in boys doubles against Cho Hyeong Woo and Lee Hyeong Woo. However, Vennala K and Reshika U narrowed the gap by winning 10-9 in girls doubles against Cheon Hye In and Moon In Seo.
Rounak Chouhan further reduced the deficit by defeating Choi Ah Seung 11-9. Despite this effort, C Lalramsanga and Aanya Bisht lost 4-9 in mixed doubles against Lee and Cheon. Unnati Hooda then faced a tough challenge needing to score 15 points before Kim Han Bi reached nine. Unnati started strong but faced resistance as Kim levelled at 6-6.
In response to initial setbacks, India made strategic substitutions for the second set. Lalramsanga replaced Gobburu in boys doubles while Vishakha Toppo came in for Bisht. These changes paid off as Lalramsanga and Bhargav secured a 9-7 win over Cho and Lee. Vennala and Reshika extended India’s lead by six points.
By the time Unnati took her turn again, India was already ahead by nine points. She successfully wrapped up the set without much difficulty. The third set began similarly with Lalramsanga and Bhargav giving India a solid start with a 9-4 lead.
Final Push to Secure Historic Medal
Despite Vennala and Reshika losing steam after ten points in the third set, Chouhan stepped up decisively with an 11-4 win over Choi, giving India a five-point lead. Lalramsanga and Bisht increased this advantage to seven points before Unnati sealed the victory with a commanding 9-4 win over Kim.
Reflecting on these tactical adjustments, India’s doubles coach Ivan Sozonov from Russia explained that changes were necessary as Gobburu and Bisht seemed under pressure during crucial moments. “I am very happy with the way Lalramsanga played and also how Rounak and Unnati handled the pressure,” he stated.
Optimism for Upcoming Semi-Final
Sanjay Mishra, Secretary General of Badminton Association of India (BAI), expressed his delight at this achievement since winning a mixed-team medal had been their goal all along. “The players had been preparing at this very venue for the last few months,” he said confidently about their chances against Indonesia in reaching finals.