<p>Ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal led from the front as India defeated Iran 3-1 to finish seventh in the team event of the Asian Championships here on Wednesday.<br /><br />In the 7th-8th position playoff, Sharath Kamal (68) pipped 44th-ranked Iranian Noshad Alamiyan in a keenly contested match to help India finish seventh in the Champion Division.<br /><br />Sharath won the encounter 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 2-11, 11-7.</p>.<p><br />Earlier, the 30-year-old got India off to a perfect start as he brushed aside Nima Alamian’s (282) challenge 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 in the first encounter at the Gijang Gymnasium. <br />But Soumyajit Ghosh (170) failed to overcome the defenses of Alamiyan and went down 7-11, 6-11, 9-11. Anthony Amalraj (158) made heavy weather of his match against Mohammadreza Akhlaghpasand (301) but managed to have the last laugh in a five-game encounter as he won 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-5.<br /><br />Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles category, the pair of Ghosh and Mouma Das, who had beaten Mongolian pair of Lkhagvasuren Enkhbat and Byamba Erdenesuvd 3-0, lost in the pre-quarters to Gao Ning and Yu Mengyu of Singapore 10-12, 2-11, 7-11.<br /><br />Earlier in the day, the Indian women’s team finished eighth after going down to Malaysia 1-3. It was a tough outing for the women paddlers against seasoned Malaysians on Tuesday. The Indian team comprising Mouma, Shamini Kumaresan, Neha Aggarwal, did not have an easy start. <br /><br />After Mouma lost to NG Sock Khim 4-11, 10-12, 4-11, Shamini could not match the guile of Beh Lee Wei who accounted for the national champion 11-7, 11-6, 11-5. But Neha gave a semblance of hope when she defeated Ting Hie Phim in straight games of 11-5, 11-6, 11-9. It was left to Shamini to up the ante but it was not to be.</p>
<p>Ace paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal led from the front as India defeated Iran 3-1 to finish seventh in the team event of the Asian Championships here on Wednesday.<br /><br />In the 7th-8th position playoff, Sharath Kamal (68) pipped 44th-ranked Iranian Noshad Alamiyan in a keenly contested match to help India finish seventh in the Champion Division.<br /><br />Sharath won the encounter 11-5, 11-9, 7-11, 2-11, 11-7.</p>.<p><br />Earlier, the 30-year-old got India off to a perfect start as he brushed aside Nima Alamian’s (282) challenge 8-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 in the first encounter at the Gijang Gymnasium. <br />But Soumyajit Ghosh (170) failed to overcome the defenses of Alamiyan and went down 7-11, 6-11, 9-11. Anthony Amalraj (158) made heavy weather of his match against Mohammadreza Akhlaghpasand (301) but managed to have the last laugh in a five-game encounter as he won 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-5.<br /><br />Meanwhile, in the mixed doubles category, the pair of Ghosh and Mouma Das, who had beaten Mongolian pair of Lkhagvasuren Enkhbat and Byamba Erdenesuvd 3-0, lost in the pre-quarters to Gao Ning and Yu Mengyu of Singapore 10-12, 2-11, 7-11.<br /><br />Earlier in the day, the Indian women’s team finished eighth after going down to Malaysia 1-3. It was a tough outing for the women paddlers against seasoned Malaysians on Tuesday. The Indian team comprising Mouma, Shamini Kumaresan, Neha Aggarwal, did not have an easy start. <br /><br />After Mouma lost to NG Sock Khim 4-11, 10-12, 4-11, Shamini could not match the guile of Beh Lee Wei who accounted for the national champion 11-7, 11-6, 11-5. But Neha gave a semblance of hope when she defeated Ting Hie Phim in straight games of 11-5, 11-6, 11-9. It was left to Shamini to up the ante but it was not to be.</p>