India's Men's Table Tennis Team Faces Defeat Against Iran at Asian Games 2026
India's Setback in Table Tennis
In a disappointing turn of events, India's men's table tennis squad was defeated 0-3 by Iran during their Group F match at the Asian Games 2026 held in Aichi-Nagoya on Sunday. The tie was clinched by Nima Alamian, who triumphed over Harmeet Desai in a thrilling five-game match.
Nima showcased his skills in the final game, overpowering Harmeet with an 11-2 score, thus securing a decisive 3-0 lead for Iran. Earlier in the match, Noshad Alamiyan had already put Iran ahead by defeating Manush Shah with scores of 11-3, 11-8, and 12-10. Additionally, Benyamin Faraji contributed to the victory by beating Manav Thakkar 11-2, 11-6, and 11-6.
This defeat followed India's strong start in the tournament, where they had previously secured a 3-0 victory against Indonesia in their opening Group F match. Sathiyan Gnanasekaran, Manav Thakkar, and Manush Shah were the key players in that match, with Thakkar winning a closely contested game against Muhammad Junindra.
On the women's side, India's team also began their campaign successfully, achieving a 3-0 win over Indonesia and later edging out Singapore 3-2 in another Group F match.
The opening day of the Aichi-Nagoya Games was marked by impressive performances from Indian athletes across various sports. In shooting, Elavenil Valarivan earned a silver medal in the women's 10m air rifle individual final and, alongside Sonam Maskar and Vidarsa Vinod, secured another silver in the team event.
In mixed martial arts, Suchika Tariyal advanced in the women's traditional 60kg category by defeating Mongolia's Altanchimeg Baigalmaa in the quarterfinals.
The Indian women's hockey team kicked off their campaign with a staggering 19-0 victory over Uzbekistan, while the men's team also dominated Indonesia with a 13-1 win in Pool A.
In cricket, the Indian women's team triumphed over Bangladesh in the semifinals, earning a spot in the gold-medal match against Sri Lanka, who defeated Pakistan in the other semifinal.
The women's badminton team also started strong, winning 3-0 against Kazakhstan.
In swimming, Rishabh Das finished sixth in the men's 100m backstroke final after qualifying fifth in the heats. Utkarsh Patil placed 12th in the heats, while Benediction Beniston and Akash Mani finished 12th and 23rd, respectively, in the men's 100m freestyle heats.
In wushu, Suraj Singh Mayanglambam ended up 11th in the men's Changquan final, while Aparna Dahiya and Vikrant Baliyan were eliminated in their respective Sanda Round of 16 matches.
In teqball, Quimcy Dsouza faced defeat in the women's singles bronze-medal match, and she, along with Mohamed Anas Beg, lost in the mixed doubles bronze-medal contest.