Badminton Asia Mixed Team C’ships: India blank Kazakhstan 5-0 in campaign opener

Dubai [UAE], February 15 (ANI): Wins from stars PV Sindhu and HS Prannoy helped India start off its campaign at the ongoing Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023 with a 5-0 win over Kazakhstan in their opening Group B tie on Tuesday.

The Indian mixed doubles duo of Ishaan Bhatnagar and Tanisha Crasto helped the country make a winning start. The duo downed Kazakhstan’s Makhsut Tadzhibullaev and Nargiza Rakhmetullayeva by 21-5, 21-11 in just two straight games in the first match of the tie. HS Prannoy went past Dmitriy Panarin 21-9, 21-11 in the men’s singles match to extend India’s lead to 2-0.

PV Sindhu, who was returning to the court after missing Indonesia and Thailand Masters last month, helped India gain an unassailable lead of 3-0 in the tie after she defeated Kazakh shuttler Kamila Smagulova 21-4, 21-12 in two straight games.
In the men’s doubles contest, the Indians once again tasted victory as the duo of Krishna Prasad Garga and Vishnuvardhan Goud Panjala barely broke a sweat in eliminating their opponents Khaitmurat Kulmatov and Artur Niyazov by margin of 21-10, 21-6.

The country’s best-ranked women’s doubles pair of Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand continued the pattern of India domination, defeating the Kazakh team of Nargiza Rakhmetullayeva and Aisha Zhumabek by a 21-5, 21-7 scoreline.
India won the tie by 5-0 and ensured a clean-sweep.

India’s next tie will be against UAE, the hosts of the competition on Wednesday and PV Sindhu and Co will meet Malaysia, their toughest challenge in the group on Thursday.
The top two teams from each group will advance to the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships 2023 quarter-finals.