Indian shuttlers up against it in Bangkok
New Delhi, May 19: A depleted Indian team, led by Saina Nehwal and H. S. Prannoy, face a tough battle in the Thomas and Uber Cup, starting in Bangkok on Sunday.
With senior shuttlers such as world no. 3 P. V. Sindhu and world no. 4 Kidambi Srikanth rested, Saina and Prannoy will be the only star attractions at the world team championships, where the women won bronze medals in the last two editions while the men have failed to advance to the knockout stage in the last eight years.
The women’s team was further depleted when CWG bronze medallists Ashwini Ponnappa and N. Sikki Reddy too couldn’t make it after the latter was diagnosed with typhoid.
Besides world no. 9 Prannoy, the men’s singles team boasts of B. Sai Praneeth, Sameer Verma and world no. 10 in junior rankings Lakshay Sen.
Manu Attri and B. Sumeeth Reddy and Arjun M. R. and Shlok Ramachandran will feature in the doubles.
India are clubbed with France, Australia and China in Group A of the Thomas Cup, and face France in their opening match on Sunday.
With CWG silver medallists Satwik Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty not in the team, the country’s campaign will largely depend on the three singles matches. The women are clubbed with Canada, Australia and Japan in Group A. The top two teams of the group will qualify for the quarter- finals. While Saina is expected to pull off her matches, it would be a tall ask for 16- year- old Vaishnavi Jakka Reddy, Sai Krishna Priya, Anura Prabhu Desai and Vaishanavi Bhale to outshine their opponents in the singles, especially against Japan and Canada.