Glimpses from the Indian athletes' events. (PTI)India at Asian Games 2023 Day 12 Highlights: The Indian trio of Jyothi Vennam, Aditi Swami and Parneet Kaur on Thursday won the gold medal in the women’s team compound event hours before the men’s team of Abhishek Verma, Ojas Pravin Deotale and Prathamesh Jawkar followed suit with a gold themselves.
Elsewhere, there was heartbreak with PV Sindhu exiting after losing to China’s He Bingjiao in the quarterfinals. The Indian women’s hockey team also lost their semis to China. Antim Panghal also salvaged a bronze medal via the repechage rounds.
Vinayakk Mohanarangan along side Amit Kamath will be on the blog today assisted by Pratyush Raj and Sayak Dutta, with our man on the ground in Hangzhou, Mihir Vasavda, sending us updates as well. Also providing her inputs for badminton is Shivani Naik. You can read all of our top stories by clicking on this link.
In squash, Saurav Ghosal took home silver in the men’s individual event on a day that Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu and Dipika Pallikal Karthik claimed a gold in the mixed doubles final.
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Badminton, Men's doubles: So a blockbuster semifinal is on the cards. It will be a 10th meeting between Satwik-Chirag and Chia-Soh, the Malaysian history-makers who won the World Championships in 2022. The Indians trail 1-8 on the H2H but won their last meeting in Indonesia Open, a pivotal moment in their career. Despite the lopsided nature of the H2H, their matches are rarely ever boring / one-sided. Fireworks guaranteed. (Image via Tournament Software)
Badminton, Men's Doubles, QF: A 21-7, 21-9 win for Satwik-Chirag.
Earlier today, HS Prannoy ensured a first men's singles badminton medal at Asiad for India since 1982. Now, Satwik-Chirag ensure a first men's doubles badminton medal at Asiad for India since 1982.
Badminton, Men's Doubles, QF: Satwik-Chirag win 21-7, 21-9
Asian Games medal assured. Match D'Sa-Gandhe with a sure bronze. But likely to go further.
Boe and Gopichand are happily chatting away about the steep returns. Belated applause from crowd, before things heat up in the semis. Don't be surprised if the Chinese get behind the Indians tomorrow.
Badminton, Men's Doubles, QF: Satwik-Chirag lead 13-6 in second
Asian+Tall+Agility+Fine footwork. Prajogo will be a doubles beast in a few years.
It'll be Aaron-Soh, the Malaysians in the semis for the Indians. No Chinese pairing in MD semis. No Indonesians.
Badminton, Men's Doubles, QF: Satwik-Chirag take the opener 21-7, 4-1 up
There's not much of any resistance from the Singaporeans. They can sneak in a few glances at adjacent court where their potential opponents are 15-15 in the decider.
Aaron-Soh or Liu-Ou? Whom would the Indians prefer
Chess, Men's Team: At the end of Round 7, the Indian men's team are placed 2nd behind Iran. Two rounds to go in both the men's and women's team events, with the medals to be decided on Saturday.
Chess, Women's Team: At the end of Round 7, the women's team are placed 2nd behind China.
Badminton, Men's Doubles, QF: Satwik-Chirag lead 13-4
Singaporeans, still teenagers, are expectedly lacking in defense, and the Indians are attacking Prajogo's body. They play the visually awkward pattern of the 6+ footer at the net, and Joo Jie roving the back.
Badminton, Men's doubles, QF: Singapore youngsters Johann Prajogo & Nge Joo Jie are ranked 106 in the world, and have won a couple of junior titles on tour in 2022. A bit of an unknown for the Indians but the quality should see them through. A 8-3 early lead to start off for the second seeds.
Badminton, Men's doubles, QF: And finally, it's time for men's doubles duo of Satwik-Chirag to take to the court.
A great point from former India hockey player Viren Rasquinha
Days after her outburst on Twitter against Nandini Agasara after the latter had won a bronze medal at the Asian Games heptathlon event, Swapna Barman clarifies.
Badminton, Men's Doubles, QF:
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty are Asian Champions from earlier this year, but looking for the Asian Games title. They won the Indonesian Open, a top title on the Tour followed by Korean Open in dominant fashion. But the rollercoaster season has seen them miss out on the World championships second medal last month. The trend has been early losses followed by bounce back titles, so they land at Hangzhou suitably hungry, lose to Koreans in team event and beat the Chinese in the final. But India had to be content with silver. So the gold in individual dangles on the horizon.
First up though they run into the tall Singaporean Johann Prajogo who is 6'4", who pairs up with NGE Joo Jie who's 5'9". It's a pair of 19 year olds at their first Asiad, having wound up in quarters after beating Nepal in Round of 16. With due respect, they ought not to bother the Indians much.
Gold aside, if the Indians make the finals, they might become World No 1 by next Monday. Indonesian Alfian-Ardianto and Chinese Liang-Wang who are current Nos 1 and 2 have lost. These calculations are always risky and complicated, and there's Aaron/Soh or Liu/Ou to get past in semis. But much to be gained in the next three evenings for India's SatChi, besides an Asiad gold that India's never won in badminton.
Kabaddi, Men's Team, Group A: In their last group match Indian men defeated Japan 56-30 and finish the group on top spot to qualify for the semifinals where they will take on Pakistan. Not that this was ever in doubt, but this assures a medal for the Indian men. Of course, they want much more.
Wrestling Women's Freestyle 57Kg, Bronze Medal Match: India's Mansi now takes on Laylokhon Sobirova of UZB.
Laylokhon Sobirova wins in the first couple of minutes as she pins Mansi down. A Victory by Fall for the UZB wrestler. End of India's wrestling contention for the day with only Antim getting bronze in 53kg.
Wrestling, Women's Freestyle 53Kg: It's win no. 130 on the trot for Japan's INVINCIBLE Akari Fujinami. She takes the gold by technical superiority against China's wrestler to silence the home crowd. What a star.
Wrestling, Women's Freestyle 53Kg: Antim Panghal, the World Championships bronze medallist is now the Asian Games bronze medallist too. A low-scoring hard-fought bout against a strong Mongolian opponent. She took a 3-0 lead into the 2nd period and holds on defensively for a 3-1 win.
Wrestling, Women's Freestyle 53Kg, Bronze Medal Match: It's a 3-0 lead for Antim Panghal in the first period. A passivity point followed by a 2-point takedown after that.
Wrestling, Women's Freestyle 53Kg, Bronze Medal Match: Time for Antim Panghal's bout. She was unlucky to run into the machine that is Akari Fujinami in the quarterfinal, but now has a shot at Asian Games bronze to go with her recent World Championships bronze.
A reminder that Saurav Ghosal's Asian Games medal haul is incredible.
Gold: Men's Team, 2014 Incheon
Gold: Men's Team, 2023 Hangzhou
Silver: Men's Singles, 2014 Incheon
Silver: Men's Singles, 2023 Hangzhou
Bronze: Men's Singles, 2018 Indonesia
Bronze: Men's Team, 2018 Indonesia
Bronze: Men's Singles, 2010 Guangzhou
Bronze: Men's Team, 2010 Guangzhou
Bronze: Men's Singles, 2006 Doha
Individual Men's Singles, Final: Eain Yow NG defeats Saurav Ghosal 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7
Eain Yow NG caught Saurav Ghosal on the back wall in the end, as the Indian was left chasing a cross b/h thwack that struck the front wall and zipped to the backcourt. Ghosal started sprinting towards the back but knew in the first two steps he was chasing in vain. The 25-year-old Malaysian defeats Indian squash's eternal trier, 37.
Malaysia also won women's individual with Sivasangari Subramaniam taking gold winning 3-2 against HK's SY Chan
Squash, Men's Singles, Final: It's a 9th Asian Games medal for Saurav Ghosal, and a 2nd silver in men's singles after Incheon 2014. The individual gold proves elusive for now as Ng Eain Yow wins this in 4 games. But what a week the Indian has had in Hangzhou.
Individual Men's Singles, Final: The match is starting to slip away from the Indian veteran, and really for the first time in the last few days in Hangzhou, Ghosal is starting to look tired.
HS Prannoy to play All England champ Chinese Li Shifeng in semis. The opponent ain't unbeatable, but it's tricky given it's China and his confidence.
Individual men's singles final: Ghosal down 1 game to 2; and 2-3 in fourth
Eain teases Ghosal out on the forehand right side, plays a lolly to the backhand left displacing him laterally and ends with a volley winner on the right to go 8-5 up for a fine winner. He had the Indian strung along both flanks and scrambling in defense to three corners while he stomped from the T.
The Malaysian's wrists are packing Ghosal off to the discomfiting forehand side.
Wrestling Women's Freestyle 50Kg Bronze Medal Match: UZB's Keunimjaeva Aktenge wins 9-2 in a brutal bout that took a lot out of the two wrestlers. Pooja tried fighting back but the lead was too big to bridge.
Wrestling Women's Freestyle 50Kg Bronze Medal Match: Pooja Gehlot is taking on UZB's Keunimjaeva Aktenge
Individual men's singles final: Ghosal 3-6 down in the third; loses second game 11-9; 1-1 in the match
Eain pulls out some confident volleys from the front and ends with a neat forehand winner that rolls down the front wall. Ghosal not too pleased with the number of times Eain got away with coming in the way to take the second.
Ghosal falls behind in the third as Eain is pushing him to the far corner of the back wall.
HS Prannoy, who will become the first Indian shuttler since Syed Modi in 1992 to get on to the podium of men's singles at Asiad, reacts after an EPIC win
Individual men's final: Ghosal 8-8 in second
Ghosal at the receiving end of two tough stroke calls.
Is that Major S Maniam in the Malaysian coaching corner? The squash pro served as India's foreign coach for a dozen years, during Ghosal's early years in Chennai when he was still battling for British juniors. The Indian's game has come a long way, chiseled by Brit Willstrop, though Eain would have some interesting insights courtesy Malaysia's squash fed director.
Eain couldn't beat Ghosal in the team event semis, but is looking to reverse the result here. The Indian was tireless at 17, and he's the same at 37.
Individual men's singles final:
Ghosal takes first game 11-9 vs Eain
Saurav Ghosal being made to work hard in long rallies by Eain Yow NG. Both are playing very close to the left sidewalls, getting in each other's backhands and looking for fadeouts on the tin from opponents. It's a battle of backhand swings from the backcourt. Ghosal gets three forecourt short drop and two slice kills in to level at 8-8 and go 10-9 up before taking the opener 11-9.
While Saurav Ghosal is going for his first individual gold, Eain Yow NG, 25, comes from one of Asian Games squash's strongest legacy nations: Malaysia. The land of the women's singles great Nicol David, who won 8 World Championship titles and 5 Asian Games golds from 1998 to 2018.
Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu speaks after pairing with Dipika Pallikal for gold medal:
"It's the first time both of us have paired up together, the first time we have been playing together (and) it is a very good sign. We've been working hard a lot, understanding each other. We go way back as kids playing the sport. The gelling of us together and understanding each other on court was natural. We didn't have to force anything," Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu says on his partnership with Dipika after the duo claimed a gold medal in squash.
Wrestling, Men's Greco-Roman 130Kg, Bronze Medal Match: Naveen had an early lead but Korea's Kim comes back in the 2nd period with a couple of big takedowns, and he wins this 5-1. Pooja, Antim and Mansi will be in action in this session soon once the women's wrestling categories begin.
Four bronze medal matches coming up for Indian wrestlers, here's a look at the bouts lined up. First up is Naveen in 130kg GR bronze bout.
Hockey, Women's Semifinal, IND 0-4 CHN: Janneke Schopman and Co have to firstly, pick themselves up for a bronze medal match. And then start planning for the Olympic qualifier tournament to earn their ticket to Paris. This will sting them, after how how well they have done in the group stage. As they usually do, they get into a quick postmatch huddle.
Hockey, Women's Semifinal, IND 0-4 CHN: And the hopes for gold (and a Paris 2024 quota spot from Hangzhou) are over for the Indian women's team. China dominant for the first three quarters, India pushed hard in the end. And left themselves open to a couple of late goals. A 4-0 scoreline is perhaps harsh on India but the win completely deserved for the Chinese.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-3 CHN in Q4: GOAL, CHINA!
Unsurprisingly, the fight has gone out of India here. China have a PC in the final seconds and it is a HARSH 0-4 scoreline against India.
Men's Singles, Gold Medal Match
Time for the big one in squash as Saurav Ghosal goes for gold. He takes on Malaysia's NG Eain Yow in a repeat of the 2nd match from the team event final. Saurav had won 3-1 that day.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-3 CHN in Q4. GOAL CHINA!
ZOU Meirong with sensational work down the left flank, LIANG Meiyu with the finishing touch. That, should be that for this match.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q4
India have numbers forward and Navneet misses a rather simple pass by her standards but somehow Ishika prevents the counter. Another China goal and this is over. 7 mins to go.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q4
Ok, yet another PC for India. If this doesn't go India's way, you'd have to wonder why this wasn't there in the first 3 quarters.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q4
All the pressure from India now, but they need a goal soon.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q4
Is that a stroke? Viren Rasquinha on air thinks so, that the ball was stopped by a Chinese foot on the way to goal. But it is a PC only for now. Another variation, and again it is too high into the goal.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q4
Early in Q4, the pressure helps India win another PC.
HOW HAS THE BALL NOT GONE IN! India try a variation, trying to pass the ball into the net but seems like a force field around the Chinese goal as the ball stays out.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q3
India scored but it wasn't given, since it was not a drag flick. Too high for a hit. But Janneke is YELLING for a PC and it is given again, this one is saved easily. Good pressure finally from India.
Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q3
India scored but it wasn't given, since it was not a drag flick. Too high for a hit. But Janneke is YELLING for a PC and it is given again, this one is saved easily. Good pressure finally from India.
Hockey, Women's Semifinal, IND 0-2 CHN in Q3: Finally, the Penalty Corner is given to India. Might be the first of the match actually. China lose their review.
, Women's Semifinal, IND vs CHN: India have won a PC down the left flank. But China have reviewed this decision.
China score their second goal! Again coming from the penalty corner. The ball hits the first rusher, and takes a deflection. And Zou Meirong at hand to push the ball into the goal.
Q3: IND 0-2 CHN
Compound Men's Team FINAL: India defeat Korea 235-230 as they take the third part of the trilogy after winning the first final between these two teams in 2014. Here's how the final unfolded.
Archery, Compound Men's Team FINAL: Abhishek Verma is celebrating even as the arrow leaves the bow! He knows it.
How Dinesh Karthik tracked wife Dipika's gold medal at Asian Games
Compound Men's Team FINAL: Korea do what they can, to finish with 230. But India need just 26 from their last three arrows.
Compound Men's Team FINAL: Superb 10s from each of the Indian archers, and with 3 arrows to go they lead 205-200. The gold is in grasp.
Compound Men's Team FINAL: India lead 175-171 after End 3! Korea with more 9s in this end and it has once again put India in a good position. Ojas with yet another 10 but big smiles for Prathamesh and the team as he too finds the 10. Ojas drops a RARE 9 finally, and coach Sergio brushes it off quickly. Prathamesh gets the 10 again, Abhishek finishes with 10. And India's lead grows.
Compound Men's Team FINAL: India lead 116-114. Korea's best set of arrows of this final so far. They finish the 2nd end with really superb 10s. Ojas is on fire once again with a 10. Oh dear, Prathamesh has struggled for a while now and he drops a 8! Abhishek backs it up with a 10 and then immediately tries to pick up Prathamesh.
Compound Men's Team FINAL: India lead 58-55 after End 1. Two 9s for Korea to start off this match. An early window for the Indians. Ojas once again with the 10, Prathamesh with a 9 though. Abhishek with a 10. Korea follow that up with THREE 9s. The window opens further. Prathamesh with another 9 though, but Ojas and Abhishek drop 10s. It's a handy lead for India.