17-year-old clinches for India its first-ever Asian team title in badminton
Seventeen-year-old Anmol Kharb, with a world rank of 472, again came up with the goods when it mattered the most. For the third time at the Badminton Asia Team Championships, the national champion won a crunch tie, this time to clinch for India the title. This is India’s first-ever Asian team title in badminton (the men having lost out to the Japanese in the quarters).
For Kharb, it was the first major event for India, and she showed that she has the mettle and the mentality to be counted as the next big thing in Indian women’s badminton. The teenager beat world no. 45 Pornpicha Choeikeewong of Thailand comfortably (21-14, 21-9) to win the decider at the Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam, Malaysia on Sunday.
The final began on a sound note for India as PV Sindhu beat Supanida Katethong 21-12, 21-12, and the coming-back-to-form pairing of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand beat Jongkolphan/Rawinda 21-16, 18-21, 21-16.
But then, Ashmita Chaliha lost to Busanan Ongbamrungphan 11-21, 14-21 and Priya/Shruti lost to Benyapa/Nuntakarn 11-21, 21-9 to put a huge weight of responsibility on the young shoulders of Anmol Kharb.
She, however, played her role to perfection, winning in straight sets against a player ranked 427 places above her!
This was a young team but the performance throughout the tournament showed that Indian women’s badminton is in safe hands.
India’s winning performance at the Badminton Asia Team Championships reads thus: Beat China 3-2 (group stage), Hong Kong 3-0 (quarter-final), Japan 3-2 (semi-final), Thailand 3-2 (final).
All the teams India won against had players ranked higher, sometimes much higher. They may not all have been the best ones for their countries but for this Indian team all the opponents posed big challenges; however, a united India came up trumps.
And in all the deciding ties—against China, Japan and Thailand—it was a 17-year-old Anmol Kharb who won against all odds, the world no. 472 defeating world no. 149 Wu Luo Yu 22-20, 14-21, 21-18, world no. 29 Natsuki Nidaira 21-14, 21-18 and world no. 45 Pornpicha Choeikeewong 21-14, 21-9.
