New Delhi, June 27: India booked their place in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships after registering a commanding 2-0 victory over Kazakhstan in their opening Group C encounter on Saturday. The convincing performance saw India win the overall tie 55-31, 55-21, putting them in a strong position ahead of their decisive group-stage clash against Chinese Taipei, which will determine the Group C winners.
India began the contest confidently with a reshuffled doubles combination. The pair of Durga Esha Kandrapu and Keerthy Manchala set the tone by racing to an 11-5 win over Kazakhstan's Alissa Kuleshova and Diana Namenova, handing India an early advantage.
The momentum continued in the next match as Puneeth Suresh
partnered with Deepti Raj Aditi to take on Mustafa Malikzhan and Alissa Kuleshova. The Indian duo had to battle harder in a closely fought contest but edged it 11-10, extending India's lead to 22-15 in the team score.
From there, India took complete control of proceedings. The remaining three categories in the first set were won comfortably by the Indian youngsters, allowing them to wrap up the opening phase with a commanding 55-31 advantage. Their superior court coverage, attacking play, and consistency proved too much for the Kazakh side.
The second set was even more dominant as India produced a clinical display across all disciplines. None of the Indian players conceded more than six points in any individual match, underlining the gulf in quality between the two teams. Kazakhstan struggled to cope with India's relentless pace and precision, eventually falling 55-21 in the second set.
The comprehensive victory ensures India advances to the knockout stage with one group match still to play. Attention now shifts to their crucial showdown against Chinese Taipei, with the winner expected to finish on top of Group C and carry valuable momentum into the quarterfinals of the prestigious continental junior team event.
