The Indian women’s table tennis team of Diya Parag Chitale, Ayhika Mukherjee, and Sutirtha Mukherjee started the day on a high note, defeating Nepal 3-0 on Saturday in the Asian Games. Diya opened the proceedings for India against Nepal’s Sikka Shrestha. The Indian paddler wasted little time in establishing her supremacy in the game.
She won the first game 11-1 in the blink of an eye. She maintained her confidence and built a comfortable five-point lead with the score 7-2. Shrestha attempted a comeback, but it was in vain as Diya won the second game 11-6.
Shrestha attempted a comeback, but it was in vain as Diya won the second game 11-6. Shrestha failed to put pressure on the Indian paddler in the third game, as Diya won 11-8 and easily closed up the opening game to give India an early lead.
The second game began with Ayhika against Nabita Shrestha; she took a 2-1 lead and then turned it into a 5-3 victory. She went on to increase her lead to six points and win the first game by a score of 9-3. Ayhika won the opening game 11-3 in six minutes.
In the second game, Nabita challenged Ayhika to a point-for-point combat. But the Indian paddler responded to the occasion, winning the second game 11-7 and taking a 2-0 lead in the second match. Nabita’s lack of energy in the third game allowed Ayhika to win 11-2 and give India a 2-0 lead over Nepal in the tournament.
Sutirtha onto the pitch against Evana Thapa Magar in the third match, hoping to end the game fast for India. Sutirtha didn’t give Evana a chance to catch her breath as she quickly put the score 8-0 in her favour.
Evana only managed a single point in the opening game, which the Indian easily won 11-1.
A similar narrative happened in the second and third games, with Sutirtha winning 11-5 and 11-2, respectively. With a 3-0 victory over Nepal, India secured their berth in the next round.