India's men's squash team will not play for gold at the Asian Games 2026. The team lost 2-1 to Malaysia in the semifinal at the Nagoya Kinjo Futo Arena, and with that defeat, India's campaign in the team event ended with a bronze medal.
How India Lost the Asian Games Squash Semifinal to Malaysia
India began the tie with a tough draw. Abhay Singh, who had won the silver medal in the men's singles competition, faced Eain Yow, the gold medallist of the individual event. Abhay went down 3-0, with all three games finishing 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.
Veer Chotrani then pulled India back into the contest. He stunned Sanjay Jeeva 3-0, winning 11-4, 11-8, 11-5, and leveled the tie at 1-1.
Everything came down to the deciding match. Velavan Senthilkumar took on Ameeshenraj Chandaran. Velavan lost a close first game 10-12, then won the second 11-6. But Chandaran took the next two games 11-8 and 11-9 to seal the match and the semifinal for Malaysia.
India's Bronze Medal in the Men's Squash Team Event
The 2-1 defeat ended India's bid for a gold medal in the men's team squash event. The team settled for bronze instead.
- Abhay Singh — lost 3-0 to Eain Yow (11-8, 11-8, 11-8)
- Veer Chotrani — won 3-0 against Sanjay Jeeva (11-4, 11-8, 11-5)
- Velavan Senthilkumar — lost to Ameeshenraj Chandaran (10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 11-9)
The semifinal loss means Malaysia advanced to the final, while India's run in the team event closed with a bronze medal.
Our Take: A Bronze That Will Feel Like a Missed Chance
To put it plainly, this is a result India will find hard to accept. The team had the individual silver medallist in Abhay Singh and still could not get past Malaysia. Abhay's straight-games loss to Eain Yow put India under pressure from the very first match, and in a best-of-three tie, that is a hard position to recover from.
Veer Chotrani did his job perfectly, beating Sanjay Jeeva without dropping a game. That win gave India real hope. But the deciding match slipped away, and the scoreline shows how close it was — Velavan Senthilkumar lost the first game 10-12 and the last game 11-9. Two games decided by a total of four points. That is the margin between playing for gold and going home with bronze.
In our view, India's squash team has the individual quality — the medals in the singles event prove that. What the team event demands is something different: every player delivering on the same day. That did not happen against Malaysia, and the bronze medal is the price.
For Indian fans, the takeaway is simple. A bronze at the Asian Games is still a medal worth respecting. But when your players have already shown they can win silver and gold in the individual event, losing a semifinal 2-1 will sting for a long time.
