Nepal, who had recorded two consecutive win over Maldives and Bangladesh, were no match against the title favourites, losing the game  15-25, 17-25, 17-25 at the National Sports Council covered hall.

The inexperience of the home side was exposed by the Indian team as Nepal, despite making good start,  lost their momentum midway in all three sets.  Despite the defeat Nepal coach Sudish Rimal said he was satisfied with the way his team fared against a much better team.

“This was the first time in the tournament that the girls’ were tested and they played to the best of their abilities. India were faster and our girls’ were unable to block their spikes. But I am satisfied with their effort,” said the coach.

In the first set, Nepal were leading 5-2 before losing momentum as India went ahead 11-7. India then never gave away their lead to take the first set. As the match wore on, Nepal appeared lost in anticipation of where the ball would come next.  

The pattern repeated again in the second set with Nepal going marginally ahead 3-1 only for the South Asian sporting powerhouse to make a comeback. From the 7-6 lead, India gradually took control of the set winning 25-17.  

Having read the game of the opponents well enough in the first two sets, Nepal gave much improved performance until midway through the third set. The home team were 9-10 but India upped their tempo and completed the comprehensive straight sets victory by winning 25-17.

Nepal  captain Binita Budhathoki said that the lack of international exposure made the difference between the two sides. “We have never played against such a formidable opponent before,” said Budhathoki. “India and Sri Lanka are the teams who play in the Asian Games regularly and they are certainly better than us. But the match was a learning experience for us where we learnt quite a few lessons and techniques.”

India coach Meena Mahalingam said her team was taken aback playing against a full house side. “The girls’ were initially nervous playing in front of such a big crowd,” said Mahalingam. “Nepal are a good team, they played all the right shots but our team has more experience and were able come from behind without any hiccups in all three sets.”

Nepal, India and Sri Lanka all have six points each but the home team have played one game more. Sri Lanka and India have played only two games. Maldives are yet to open their account after losing all three games so far.

Sri Lanka, who had defeated Bangladesh in the tournament opener on Friday, registered a straight sets 25-15, 25-15, 25-17 victory over Maldives in the early match held at the same venue on Sunday.

Bangladesh take on Maldives in the first match on Monday. The loser of the match will determine the fourth place. The second match is between Sri Lanka and India.  Nepal play their last match against Sri Lanka on Tuesday.