Nepal jolted India by winning the opening point but there was no stopping the mighty Indians once they recovered from the initial shock for a convincing 3-1 win in the final to take the South Asia Under-21 Regional Mixed Team title.
In the picturesque Kathmandu high in the Himalaya mountains, India was trailing following the 12-21, 17-21 defeat of Priyanshu Rajawat in the men's singles by Nepal's Nabin Shrestha.
India hauled themselves back into contention when rising star Malvika Bansod made short work Rasila Maharjan with a comfortable 21-8, 21-5 in the women's singles.
Nepal kept themselves with hope in the men's doubles with Nabin Shrestha-Prince Dahal offering stiff resistance but could not stop Vishnu Vardhan Goud-Dhruv Gaut from a 21-15, 21-17 win to give India a 2-1 lead.
India made sure of the title when Purva Barve-Tanisha Crasto strolled past Jessica Gurung-Ranjans Bhatt 21-5, 21-15 for an unassailable lead.
In the semi-finals, India outplayed Sri Lanka 3-0 while Nepal downed Bangladesh by a similar scoreline.
Five countries – India, Bangladesh, Nepal, the Maldives, and Sri Lanka took part in the annual championships.
RESULTS (FINAL)
India 3 Nepal 1
(India first)
Men's singles
Priyanshu Rajawat lost to Nabin Shrestha 12-21, 17-21
Women's singles
Malvika Bansod beat Rasila Maharjan 21-8, 21-5
Men's doubles
Vishnu Vardhan Goud-Dhruv Gaut beat Nabin Shrestha-Prince Dahal 21-15, 21-17
Women's doubles
Purva Barve-Tanisha Crasto beat Jessica Gurung-Ranjans Bhatt
SEMI-FINALS
India 3 Sri Lanka 0
Nepal 3 Bangladesh 0
