Asian Table Tennis LIVE: Sharath Kamal led India takes on Korea in Semifinals – – After being assured of a medal finish, Sharath Kamal led Indian contingent will be aiming to pull off a huge upset when they clash against the Republic of Korea in the semi-finals of the Asian Table Tennis Championships. TThe podium finish will be India’s first at the event, will be brimming with confidence when it takes on the top seed. India defeated Iran 3-1 in the quarter-finals on Thursday but will face a much sterner test on Friday.
Asian Table Tennis LIVE: Sharath Kamal led India takes on Korea in Semifinals – follow live updates
Asian Table Tennis LIVE: India’s ace paddlers Sharath Kamal and G. Sathiyan gave a rousing start defeating Nima Alamian and Noshad Alamiyan respectively, to put India 2-0 up against Iran. Harmeet Desai ranked No.72 was expected to coast past a much lower-ranked Amir Hossein Hodaei, but the Iranian took the game to add another twist in the tie. However, Desai’s blushes did not cost India their podium as Sharath Kamal overcame Noshad in four games to seal a 3-1 win.
Asian Table Tennis LIVE: Such slip-ups would cost them heavily against the Republic of Korea, who are overwhelming favourites to power through to the Asian Table Tennis Championships final. Jang Woojin (world-ranked 12) and Lee Sangsu (22) will be spearheading the attack as they look to make the most of China’s absence at the event. The Koreans saw the back of Hong Kong, winning 3-1.
Asian Table Tennis LIVE: Match details
- Venue: LUSAIL SPORTS ARENA Table 1
- Time: 9:00 Local time (11:30 AM IST)
- Date: 1st October 2021
Despite the odds stacked against them, India’s flagbearer Sharath Kamal is positive and expects to put up a strong show against the top seeds. Speaking to Sportstar, Kamal said, “Korea is a strong team. We lost to them (Korea) in the semifinals of the Asian Games in 2018. But I have been in good form and the team has been having good confidence especially after the win over Iran the other day. If we can win the semis, we will be the favourite to win the title. This medal is something I have been chasing for the last 20 years and finally I could get that; really happy and proud with this achievement.”
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G Sathiyan also echoed a similar response and added, “We have to win the first two matches and put them under pressure. We have a lot of confidence from the match against Iran. It will be an uphill task as Korea is a strong team. We are the underdogs for sure.”
Harmeet Desai, India’s third-best paddler, said with the current form of Sharath and G Sathiyan, India can pull off an upset. “We have nothing to lose. This is our best chance to win,” he said.
Asian Table Tennis LIVE: Meanwhile, the Indian women’s team defeated Chinese Taipei 3-1 for positions 5-8 on Thursday.
Asian Table Tennis LIVE: Sharath Kamal led India takes on Korea in Semifinals – follow live updates
