Solo, Indonesia – India kicked off their campaign at the Badminton Asia Junior Mixed Team Championships with a resounding victory, thrashing Sri Lanka 110-69 in their Group D clash on Friday. The dominant performance signals a strong start for the Indian contingent in the unique relay point system tournament.
India’s Strong Start in Relay Format
The championships employ a distinctive “relay point system,” where a team must be the first to accumulate a total of 110 points across a series of matches to secure a win. Each individual game contributes points to the cumulative team score.
India’s march to victory began with the mixed doubles pairing of Vishnu Kode and Reshika U, who set the tone with an 11-5 win over Keneth Aruggoda and Isuri Attanayake. This initial lead was quickly extended by sisters Gayatri and Mansa Rawat in their doubles encounter, pushing India ahead to 22-14 against Attanayake and Sithumi De Silva. Junior world number one Tanvi Sharma further solidified India’s advantage, showcasing her class against Sithuli Ranasinghe to make the score 33-21.
Unbeaten Run in Early Relays
A testament to India’s comprehensive strength across disciplines, not a single Indian singles player or doubles pair lost any of the 11-point relays. This consistent scoring ensured a widening gap, and by the halfway mark of the match, the Indian team had already established a commanding 55-31 lead, effectively putting the match win beyond Sri Lanka’s reach.
Eyes on Top Spot in Group D
With this impressive opening win under their belt, India will now look to maintain their momentum. They are scheduled to face the United Arab Emirates in their second group game on Saturday. This will be followed by a crucial encounter against Hong Kong China on Sunday, a match that is highly anticipated to decide which team ultimately tops Group D standings and secures a potentially more favorable draw in the knockout stages of the championships.
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