HS Prannoy fought valiantly, but India went down 0-3 to a second-string Japan in the quarterfinals of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships to end its campaign on a disappointing note here on Friday.
India, the 2023 bronze medalists in Dubai, struggled to find its rhythm, suffering a comprehensive defeat against the 2017 edition champion Japan.
In the opening match, the mixed doubles pair of Dhruv Kapila and Tanisha Crasto showed resilience but ultimately lost 13-21, 21-17, 13-21 to Hiroki Midorikawa and Natsu Saito.
With PV Sindhu sidelined due to a hamstring injury, India faced an uphill task against Tomoka Miyazaki, who has quickly risen to world number 8 following her triumph at the 2022 World Junior Championships.
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Malvika Bansod, stepping in for Sindhu, put up a brave fight, especially in the second game, but struggled to match the control and consistency of her younger opponent, eventually going down 12-21, 19-21, leaving India 0-2 behind.
It all came down to Prannoy to keep India alive, but despite a determined effort, the 32-year-old, returning after a long break and struggling with early-season form, couldn’t sustain the pressure against world number 16 Kenta Nishimoto.
The Japanese star sealed the rubber with a 21-14, 15-21, 21-12 victory in 1 hour and 17 minutes.
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