India registered a 5-0 win over Kazakhstan in their opening tie of Group B at the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023. The mixed doubles team of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto got the Indian badminton team off to a winning start in the tie. The Indian duo beat Kazakhstan’s Makhsut Tadzhibullaev and Nargiza Rakhmetullayeva 21-5, 21-11 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre in UAE.
HS Prannoy then cruised past Dmitriy Panarin 21-9, 21-11 in the men’s singles match to extend India’s lead to 2-0 in the tie.
PV Sindhu, returning to the court after missing the Indonesia and Thailand Masters last month, ensured India’s victory. She defeated Kazakh shuttler Kamila Smagulova 21-4, 21-12 to give the Indian badminton team an unassailable 3-0 lead in the tie.
In the men’s doubles match, a dead rubber, India’s Krishna Prasad Garga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala broke little sweat to dispatch their opponents, Khaitmurat Kulmatov and Artur Niyazov. The Indians won the match 21-10, 21-6.
India’s best-ranked women’s doubles pair, Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand took the court for the final rubber and ensured a clean sweep, beating the Kazakh team of Nargiza Rakhmetullayeva and Aisha Zhumabek by a 21-5, 21-7 scoreline.
India’s next tie will be against hosts UAE on Wednesday. PV Sindhu and Co. will go up against Malaysia, their toughest challenge in the group, in the final tie on Thursday.
