Asian Games 2026: India thrash Pakistan 3-0 in table tennis team event

Aichi-Nagoya, September 21
India bounced back from their defeat to Iran with a commanding 3-0 victory over Pakistan in the men’s table tennis team contest at the Asian Games on Monday in Aichi-Nagoya.

Harmeet Desai got India off to a winning start, defeating Khan Muhammad 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 in straight games in the opening match.

Sathiyan Gnanasekaran then extended India’s lead with another 3-0 victory, beating Abbas Khan 11-1, 11-8, 11-9.

Payas Jain completed the clean sweep in the third match, defeating Khan Muhammad 11-2, 11-5, 11-7 as India sealed the tie without dropping a game.

The victory came as a much-needed boost for India after their shock defeat to Iran in their previous match. India had earlier begun their campaign with a win over Indonesia.

The win temporarily moved India to the top of Group F with five points from three matches, ahead of Iran. However, Iran still have a match against Indonesia remaining.

The Indian women’s table tennis team booked their slot in the quarterfinals during the ongoing Asian Games, blanking arch-rivals Pakistan in their second Group F match on Monday.

Starting their campaign with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Singapore on Sunday, Team India sealed their spot in the women’s table tennis quarterfinals with a thumping win over Pakistan. (ANI)