- Indian pair of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra win bronze in table tennis mixed doubles.
- Sharath & Manika lost to China’s Yingsha Sun and Wang Sun 1-4 in the semi-finals.
- This was India’s second medal in table tennis at this Asiad after Kamal-led men’s team secured a bronze
- On Wednesday, Kamal and Batra played four matches in a day, leading to the semi-final.
The Indian table tennis contingent's dream run at the Asian Games got only better on Wednesday when the mixed doubles duo of Sharath Kamal and Manika Batra won a historic bronze.
In the semi-finals, Sharath and Manika lost to China's Yingsha Sun and Wang Sun 9-11, 5-11, 13-11, 4-11, 8-11. The semi-final was a best of seven games contest while the earlier rounds were played in the usual best of five format.
This was India’s second medal in table tennis at this edition of the Asiad after Kamal-led men's team secured a bronze, ending India's 60-year-wait for a maiden table tennis medal at the Asian Games.
It has been an unbelievable campaign so far. Not even in my wildest dreams I thought of winning a medal at the Asian Games. Now I have got two. I am still pinching myself.Sharath Kamal
Meanwhile Manika took to Twitter to celebrate her Asiad medal. She wrote on Twitter: “Proud and Happy to have been tied up with @sharathkamal1 in the mixed doubles event and secured a great partnership to achieve a bronze for the country. It also feels great to be the only Indian female Asiad medalist in Table Tennis."
(For more latest news and updates from the 2018 Asian Games, click here.)
On Wednesday, Kamal and Batra played four matches in a day. In the lead-up to the event, Kamal had slammed the scheduling of the competition.
The Indian duo did well in their pre-quarterfinal against the strong South Korean pairing of Lee Sangsu and Jeon Jihee. Indians battled past them 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-4.
Next up for Kamal and Batra was the North Korean challenge posed by Cha Hyo Sim and An Ji Song. This was for a place in the semi-finals and a guaranteed medal at the Games.
Like the round of 16 match, the quarter-final too went down to the wire with the Indians pulling off a 11-4, 10-12, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8 victory.
The combination of Kamal's power and Batra's deceptive play proved too hot to handle for the Koreans.
(With inputs from PTI)
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