NAGOYA: The Indian men's badminton team has delivered many epic moments over the years. And they continued that trend on Tuesday as the team, led by Lakshya Sen's fighting victory, beat Japan 3-0 in the men's team quarterfinals at the Ichinomiya City Municipal Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan in the ongoing Asian Games.
More importantly, the team, which finished with a silver medal in the previous editions of the Games in China, are now guaranteed to walk away with yet another medal by virtue of reaching the last-four stage.
Lakshya set the tone with a fighting come-from-behind win over World No 7 Kodai Naraoka of Japan in the opening match. Doubles combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy then lived up to their billing to help team extend the lead before youngster Ayush Shetty's finishing act.
In what was the first match of the last-eight contest, Lakshya lost the opening game before staging a superb fightback to win the contest 11-21, 21-5, 21-19 in 66 minutes.
The follow-up act by doubles specialists Chirag and Satwik extended India's advantage as they got the better of Takuro Hoki and Yugo Kobayashi in 56 minutes. Ayush then put up a masterclass against Koki Watanabe to help the team take an unassailable lead.
The in-form Satwik and Chirag, who recently captured the China Masters crown, showed their class in critical moments of the match to emerge victors in straight games (21-18, 24-22). The Japanese pair, who are former world champions, offered some resistance towards the end, saving a few match points, but the Indians proved to be undeniable in the end.
Ayush, who's making his Asian Games, dominated the proceedings with his good movement and big smashes to take the opening game with relative ease but towards the end, Kobayashi showed some signs of fight and even had a slender advantage. However, Ayush, who made headlines by reaching the Asian Championships final earlier this year, kept his calm before going on to win 21-10, 21-19.
In the first match of the day, Lakshya showed promise in the opening exchanges but Naraoka soon found his range, dictating the pace of the game to take control of the proceedings. With his feints and deft touches, Naraoka made life difficult for the Indian. In no time, Naraoka had raced to a 17-8 lead. The game was done and dusted within 18 minutes with Naraoka winning 21-11.
The second essay was a complete contrast as Lakshya bossed the proceedings. It was Naraoka who captured the first point but the Indian reeled off seven consecutive points to turn the tide in his favour. Lakshya looked much sharper as he forced the Japanese to err on several occasions. The World No 14 also landed a couple of forehand smashes to widen the gap between the two. Maybe, it was the drift factor but the theme continued as Lakshya, who clearly galvanised, continued to apply the pressure and go for the kill. In the end, it was a no contest as the Indian pocketed the game 21-5.
The early stages of the third essay was a captivating affair. Naraoka had a slender lead at the start but Lakshya displayed the heart of a fighter, making a couple of mind-bending returns. However, Naraoka soon took control of the proceedings yet again, taking a sizeable lead with some sharp returns.
Towards the business end, it was like a game of chess as both players were happy to play the waiting game and engage in long rallies. At 19-14, Naraoka still had the upper hand. However, Lakshya flipped the script in no time. He captured seven consecutive points to leave Naraoka stunned and put India in front.
