Dubai, April 18, 2025 – In a triumphant demonstration of national pride and sporting excellence, India achieved a stunning "clean sweep" at the Bridge Federation of Asia and Middle East Championships in Dubai, winning three gold medals and one silver medal. All four Indian teams have secured their places at the prestigious 47th World Bridge Championships in Herning, Denmark, scheduled for August 20-31, 2025.
The Indian men's team, comprising Sumit Mukherjee & Rajeshwar Tewari, Sagnik Roy & Kaustabh Nandi, and Kaustubh Milind Bendre & Sayantan Kushari, claimed the gold medal under the expert guidance of coach Debasish Ray. The women's team featuring powerhouse pairs of Puja Batra & Asha Sharma, Bindiya Kohli & Priya Balasubramanian, and Bharati Dey & Alka M Kshirsagar dominated their category with precision and tactical brilliance, coached by Arvind Vaidya.
The seniors' team, showcasing the timeless excellence of Indian bridge veterans, bagged gold with the formidable lineup of Ramaratnam Krishnan & B Prabhakar, Bachiraju Satyanarayana & Jaggy B Shivdasani, and Subhash Gupta & Ravi Goenka, under Girish Bijoor's captaincy. While the mixed team, led by Vinay Desai, secured a silver medal with pairs Rajeev & Himani Khandelwal, Rana Roy & Sheetal Bansal, and Priya Ranjan Sinha & Bindiya Naidoo.
Debasish Ray, India's former international player and chef-de-mission, lauded the achievement: "This is a clean sweep among 25 teams from nine foreign countries in Dubai. The competition will be much stronger at the world championships in Denmark, and we have to work hard in the next three-four months. Depending on coaches' reports, there may be some changes in our teams for the world championships, but we are tremendously proud of this performance."
The tournament, held between April 10-18, featured fierce competition from across the Asia-Pacific region. India's dominant showing underlines the country's emergence as a serious contender in global bridge circles. The championships served as the crucial qualifying event for the World Bridge Championships, where India will compete alongside 66 teams from 35 nations across all four major categories: Bermuda Bowl, Venice Cup, D'Orsi Trophy, and Wuhan Cup.
