Badminton News: India will field a strong team with a perfect blend of youth and experience in the upcoming BWF Thomas & Uber Cup 2024 finals with the senior selection committee deciding to have more options in singles considering the busy schedule of all the players this season.

The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has announced the men's and women's teams for the upcoming prestigious tournament to be played in Chengdu, China from April 27 to May 5.

The 10-member squad for the Thomas Cup will comprise five singles players, with Kiran George joining HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth and Priyanshu Rajawat, while Sai Pratheek will be the reserve doubles player for the first two-choice combination, namely the pair of world number 1 players, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.

With most of the top players going through a tough phase of qualifying for the Paris Olympics ahead of the 2024 Thomas Cup, the selectors felt it was important to add just one player to the squad.

The final decision on the Thomas Cup squad was taken after an online meeting of the selection committee comprising national chief coach Pulella Gopichand, former India stars U Vimal Kumar, Jwala Gutta, Manjusha Kanwar, Partho Ganguly and Mallika Baruah Sarma.

For the Uber Cup, the selectors have decided to allow young players after the top players in singles and doubles withdrew. PV Sindhu informed the selectors that due to the back-to-back tournaments leading up to the Olympics, she and her team have decided to skip the Uber Cup to prepare for the Olympics.

The top doubles pair also cited similar reasons and, since it was not a full-strength team, it also withdrew. The selectors then decided to select young players who had recently performed well in the National Championship.

Speaking about the team combination, Badminton Association of India general secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “The senior selection committee, after much discussion, decided on the best combination for the Thomas Cup team to retain the title. The committee felt that we should add one player in singles, while in doubles, they had selected the best two pairs and Sai Pratheek was chosen as an additional doubles player after consulting Mathias Boe (Danish doubles coach) in case anyone was less fit… or required restoration.

“With all the experience of the top players and many years of experience as a coach, I am convinced that they have selected a very balanced team and I am sure that these players can win the title again.”

“The Uber Cup team also performed well with some talented young players. I wish them the best and hope they can make the nation proud with their performance.”

The Indian men's team had created history two years ago in Thailand when they beat a tough Indonesian team 3-0 in the final to clinch their first Thomas Cup crown.

Article Tag: India, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Thomas Cup 2024

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