India Bounce Back With 3-0 Win Over Pakistan

New Delhi, September 21, 2026 India made a strong recovery in the men’s table tennis team event at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday, responding to their earlier setback against Iran with a commanding 3-0 victory over Pakistan. The Indian team maintained control throughout the tie and did not surrender a single game. Harmeet Desai set the tone for India in the opening match, comfortably defeating Khan Muhammad 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 in straight games. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran followed with another convincing 3-0 result, beating Abbas Khan 11-1, 11-8, 11-9 to put India within touching distance of victory. Payas Jain then completed the clean sweep in the third match, overcoming Khan Muhammad 11-2, 11-5, 11-7. India therefore wrapped up the tie without dropping a game, producing the response they needed after their surprise loss to Iran. Their campaign had begun with a victory over Indonesia. The win temporarily lifted India to the top of Group F with five points from three matches. Iran remained in contention for the top position, with their match against Indonesia still to be played. The result also strengthened India’s position in the group after three outings. India’s women’s team also advanced to the quarterfinals on Monday after recording a comprehensive victory over Pakistan in their second Group F encounter. They had started their campaign with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Singapore on Sunday before securing their place in the last eight with the emphatic victory over Pakistan. With both teams progressing, India continued its strong presence in the table tennis competition.