Thailand beat India 3:2 in the Asian Games on Saturday evening, ending the visitors' unbeaten streak after three straight wins. The hosts climbed from second place to share the top spot, while India dropped from clear leadership after their third game of the tournament.
Before this match, India had won all three of their fixtures — against Korea, Qatar and Hong Kong — with only a single defeat to Pakistan in between. Thailand's record was less clean: two wins against Kyrgyzstan and Indonesia, losses to China and Iran, and a draw-free run otherwise. The result changes everything for the group stage going forward.
India arrive at this point with eight points from three matches, while Thailand now sit on five after what looked like a shaky run of form. The visitors had beaten Korea 3:1 on the previous day and were expected to carry that momentum forward. Instead, things came to a head in the final third of the contest, where Thailand turned pressure into points.
What stands out is not the scoreline itself but what it signals about both sides. Thailand, who had lost 3:0 to China and 3:0 to Iran in earlier rounds, showed resilience against a team that had been dominant. India, who had kept their heads through five matches, found themselves chasing the game when they should have too much for their opponents.
The standings now look tighter than they did on Friday. India remain on paper in first place with three wins, but Thailand's win puts them within three points and closes the gap significantly. By then, the tournament was no longer a formality for either side — both needed to win their remaining fixtures to stay in contention.
