Badminton News: India will field a strong team with a perfect blend of youth and experience in the upcoming BWF Thomas & Uber Cup 2024 final, with the senior selection committee deciding to have more singles options given the busy schedule of all 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 feature 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-pick combination, namely the pair of world players. number 1, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila.
With most of the top players going through a difficult 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 chief national coach Pulella Gopichand, former Indian stars U Vimal Kumar, Jwala Gutta, Manjusha Kanwar, Partho Ganguly and Mallika Baruah Sarma.
For the Uber Cup, the selectors decided to allow young players after the withdrawal of the best players in singles and doubles. PV Sindhu informed the selectors that due to 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, as they were not a full team, withdrew as well. The selectors then decided to select young players who had recently performed well in the National Championship.
Talking about the team combination, Badminton Association of India General Secretary Sanjay Mishra said, “The senior selection committee, after much discussion, has decided on the best combination for the Cup team Thomas retains the title. The committee felt that we needed to add a 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 where someone would be less fit. . or requires restoration.
“With all the experience of the top players and years of coaching experience, 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 talented young players. I wish them all the best and hope they can make the nation proud with their performance.”
The Indian men's team made history two years ago in Thailand by beating a tough Indonesian team 3-0 in the final to clinch their maiden Thomas Cup crown.
Article Tag: India, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Thomas Cup 2024
