Ichinomiya (Japan), Sept. 23 -- India's men's badminton team secured a bronze medal at the Asian Games here on Wednesday despite a spirited fightback from Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty, who stunned the reigning world champions before China prevailed 3-1 in the semifinal.
Satwik and Chirag produced the defining performance for India, defeating Liang Weikeng and Wang Chang 21-11, 22-20 to level the tie after Lakshya Sen had lost the opening singles to former world champion Shi Yuqi 16-21, 18-21.
The Indian pair kept their composure in a tense second game after China threatened to force a decider, handing India a crucial win over the reigning world champions and briefly reviving hopes of reaching the final.
However, China regain...