Badminton Asia Team Championships: Sindhu-led India stun China in women's competition, men's team beats Hong Kong

India clinched a stunning 3-2 win over China in the women’s contest of the Badminton Asia Team Championships on Wednesday as PV Sindhu made a winning return to the court after a four-moth injury layoff at Shah Alam in Malaysia. The men’s team defeated Hong Kong to progress to the quarter-finals. India were already assured of a knockout round spot in the women’s competition as only two teams were part of Group W, but they qualified to the next round with a brilliant win over top seeded China. Sindhu, coming back from a long injury lay-off, showed that she was not just regaining her form but also her confidence as she won the opening game against Han Yue comfortably and then turned around a 10-13 deficit by winning 11 of the next 13 points to give India the lead. Though the doubles combination of Tanisha Crasto and Ashwini Ponnappa and singles player Ashmita Chaliha put up a brave fight, they could not avoid India falling back 1-2 behind. However, All England semi-finalists Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand then fought back from a game down against world no. 22 combination Li Yi Jing and Luo Xu Min to win 10-21, 21-18, 21-17 in an hour and nine minutes to restore parity. All eyes were then on national champion Anmol, who was playing in the competition for the first time. In a closely contested opening game, the 17-year-old kept her nerves under pressure from Wu Luo Yu to convert her second game point and draw first blood. It looked like the pressure was getting to the teenager as she lost the second game and trailed 1-5 at the start of the third. However, she stuck to her game plan of keeping the shuttle in play and wrapped up the match the rubber with three straight points, 22-20, 14-21, 21-18. In the men’s team event, the Indian team put behind the reversal of HS Prannoy’s loss in the opening men’s singles match to beat Hong Kong quite easily. They will face China to decide the group winners on Thursday. Results: Women: India bt China 3-2 (PV Sindhu bt Han Yue 21-17, 21-15; Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto lost to Liu Sheng Shu/Tan Ning 19-21, 16-21; Ashmita Chaliha lost to Wang Zhi Yi 13-21, 15-21; Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand bt Li Yi Jing/Luo Xu Min 10-21, 21-18, 21-17; Anmol Kharab bt Wu Luo Yu 22-20, 14-21, 21-18) Men: India bt Hong Kong 4-1 (HS Prannoy lost to NG Ka Long Angus 18-21, 14-21; Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty bt Lui Chun Wai/Yeung Shing Choi 21-16, 21-11; Lakshya Sen bt Chan Yin Chak 21-14, 21-9; MR Arjun/Dhruv Kapila bt Chow Hin Long/Hung Kuei Chun 21-12, 21-7; Kidambi Srikanth bt Jason Gunawan 21-14, 21-18)