The final saw India fall 5‑3 to China’s Jingyi Zhu and Mengqi Li, but the pair’s valiant comeback from an 0‑4 deficit kept the silver in reach.
China opened with an 8‑7 swing, then 8‑7 again to go 4‑0 ahead. In the third set, Kumkum’s second‑arrow 10 forced China to settle for 36, while Dhiraj’s steady 37 flushed the set to 2‑4.
In the fourth, a 9‑9 start from Kumkum and Dhiraj gave India 18 points, but a final 10 from Kumkum couldn't outpace China’s own 10, sealing the 5‑3 outcome.
Earlier in the tournament, the duo stunned Japan 5‑3 in the semifinal after trailing 0‑2, shooting a 39 in the third set to level the match.
India’s mixed‑team silver joins four golds and a bronze in archery, cementing its position as the country’s most successful sport at Aichi‑Nagoya. The next challenge? A men’s compound final tomorrow that could push India into the top slot.