India, Oct. 12 -- The new-look and young men's team could not cash in on home turf as India lost to Hong Kong 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the Asian Table Tennis Team Championships in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

The defeat means the Indian men's outfit will not have a podium finish in this continental event featuring only team events, after winning bronze medals in the previous three editions.

As the 2024 bronze medallists, both Indian teams received direct entries into the quarter-finals, but the men's five-member squad was three-fifths different from last year. Without the experience of the retired Sharath Kamal, India's No.2 G Sathiyan - he became a father earlier in the week - and Harmeet Desai, the young pack struggled against Hong Kong...