India fell at the final hurdle in their quest for the Asian U-23 Volleyball Championship title as they lost to Chinese Taipei in four games in the final in Myanmar.
India lost 21-25, 20-25, 25-19, 23-25 in a closely-contested final clash. Having beaten Pakistan in the semi-final, India qualified for the U-23 World Championship in the process, but they will have to enter global championship as runners-up.
Led by Amit Gulia, India competed well in the first set before losing the grip in the dying stages. The same story followed in the second set before India finally made their efforts count by winning the third set 25-19 and stay in the final. However, the Chinese Taipei side held their nerve in a tight fourth set to clinch the tie.
India though would be proud of their performance in the competition having created history by being the first Indian team to reach the final in the tournament’s history.