The Indian men’s team secured a bronze medal at the Asian Championships held in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday. In the semifinals, the Indian team suffered a 0-3 defeat against Chinese Taipei, ultimately settling for the bronze medal.
In the first singles match, Sharath Kamal lost 0-3 (7-11, 10-12, 9-11) to Lin Yun-Ju. Manav Thakkar put up a strong fight, but ultimately lost 1-3 (9-11, 11-8, 3-11, 11-13) against Kao Cheng-Jui. Harmeet Desai lost 0-3 (6-11, 9-11, 7-11) to Huang Yan-Cheng.
The Indian team had previously defeated the host nation, Kazakhstan, in the quarterfinals with a score of 3-1. This marks India’s third consecutive bronze medal win at the Asian Championships, following their consecutive bronze medal finishes in 2021 and 2023.
On Wednesday, the Indian women’s team made history by clinching its first-ever medal, a bronze, in the Asian Table Tennis Championship. This achievement comes since the Asian Table Tennis Union first began hosting the tournament in 1972.