Tokyo Paralympics: Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli to play for bronze in mixed doubles badminton event

India's para badminton pair of Pramod Bhagat and Palak Kohli will be vying for the bronze medal at the Tokyo Paralympics after they succumbed to a 3-21, 15-21 defeat against Indonesia's Susanto Hary and Oktila Ratri Leani in the semifinals of mixed doubles SL3-SU5 category on Saturday at the Yoyogi National Stadium.

The Indian pair were outplayed in the first game as they fail to return to the agile strokes of the Indonesian duo. Santo and Oktila ran on a cruise mode to win the game with an 18-point margin at 21-3.

In Game 2, the Indonesian again took an early lead at 5-2, but the Indians levelled at 6-6. Pramod and Palak looked as if they gained back momentum in the second game, and were going toe-to-toe with their opponents. Bhagat and Kohli reached the interval mark with a three-point lead at 11-8. Constant netting by Oktila gave away points to the Indians. Oktila and Hary soon levelled up things at 12-12 and eventually picked up a lead despite Bhagat trying to cover every inch of the court. 

Short rallies and immaculate smashes kept the Indians on their feet as the Indonesian pair picked up pace in winning points, leading at 17-14. They eventually bagged the second game and the match at 21-15.

Earlier, Bhagat, who has qualified for the men's singles SL3 final event, and Kohli beat Thailand's Siripong Teamarrom and Nipada Saensupa 21-15 21-19 in a 29-minute clash to finish second in group B.