Badminton’s top seeds gear up for KISG

Dhruv Rawat and Amit Rathore, Malvika Bansod and Aakarshi Kashyap are the top seeds in the badminton singles draw of the inaugural Khelo India School Games that will run from February 5 to 8 at the India Gandhi Indoor Stadium here.

Uttarakhand’s

Rawat ( Sharda

Public School,

A l m o r a ) , favourite in the boys’ competition, is ranked third in the Badminton Association of India Under- 19 list. With international experience under his belt, he will enter the games with an edge.

Madhya Pradesh’s Rathore, seeded second, is hoping to challenge the top seed, who got the better of him when they last played at the Under- 17 level and also keep national U- 17 champion Maisnam Meiraba at bay.

“I am excited to be participating in the Khelo India School Games. I will have a few practice sessions before I hit the court. I’m looking forward to it,” said Meiraba, the boys U- 17 number one and seeded fourth.

Malvika Bansod ( Nagpur), who currently trails Aakarshi Kashyap ( Chhattisgarh) in the BAI U- 19 girls’ rankings, has tuned up well for the KISG by winning an all- India senior ranking tournament in Bareilly recently.

“I have great expectations from Khelo India. It is a good opportunity and quite a big event. It feels positive to be the top seed and shows that you’ve been selected best, that you have to deliver.

“It is indeed a big boost and I know I have to perform well,” an excited Malvika said here on Monday.