Japan came from behind to beat India 2-1 at Sepak takraw Men's Regu competition
India lead the home team but surrendered the lead
Sepaktakraw is a sport that involves a ball and it is very popular among South-East Asian countries
The Indian men's sepaktakraw team squandered a one-match lead to lose 1-2 to hosts Japan in the its opening Group B regu event fixture at Nagoya City Mizuho Park Gymnasium on Monday.
India had started on a bright note, winning the first match 15-13, 15-9 but couldn't keep up as Japan mounted a comeback.
India fought hard but went down 2-1 (12-15, 15-17, 11-15) in the second match before surrendering the third one 2-0 (9-15, 12-15).
India will next face Malaysia in its second group-stage match on Tuesday.
At the previous edition in Hangzhou, India won a bronze in the women’s team regu event.
Sepak takraw, which directly translates to kick the ball, has been part of the Games program since 1990. India has participated in it since the 2006 edition and is slowly catching up with South East Asian countries, where the sport has a huge following.
