Badminton News: Defending Thomas Cup champions India will look to repeat their success as they aim for the Asian Badminton Team Championship crown in Shah Alam (Malaysia).
The return from injury of two-time Olympic medalist PV Sindhu will add strength and determination to the team.
The men's team, which triumphed at the 2022 Thomas Cup and won a historic silver medal at the recent Asian Games, is aiming for the continental title this week. After winning bronze in the 2016 and 2018 editions, they are determined to perform optimally in the next event.
It won't be easy for the Indian men's team, who will face tough Chinese and Hong Kong teams in their Group A preliminary matches.
However, India, led by HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen and the knowledgeable doubles pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy/Chirag Shetty, will aim to finish among the top two and qualify for the knockout stages.
The women's team, led by Sindhu, got the green ticket as China was the only other team in Group 'W' and India had already secured a place in the knockout system.
It will be a tough task for the women's team, who will depend on Sindhu and her two doubles pairs, Commonwealth Games bronze medalists Treesa Jolly/Gayatri Gopichand and Guwahati Masters 2023 champions Ashwini Ponnappa/Tanisha Crasto for their give a boost.
For Sindhu, this event holds great importance as she will test her fitness and regain confidence after being away since October last year.
The 28-year-old injured his knee at the French Open and took time to regain fitness, then moved to Bengaluru to train under mentor Prakash Padukone at the PPBA.
The continental competitions will also be important for players as they will offer valuable qualification points in the race for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The focus will also be on Indian youngsters and second-tier players like Thailand Open Super 300 semi-finalist Ashmita Chaliya, 16-year-old senior national champion Anmol Kharb and Asian Junior Championships medalist badminton player Tanvi Sharma, who will be eager to surpass their limits. weight on the big stage.
India begin their campaign on Wednesday with the men's team facing Hong Kong, while Sindhu and company take on China at the Setia City Convention Centre.
Although Hong Kong has two strong men's singles players in world No. 18 and world No. 22 Ng Ka Long Angus, they lack a decent doubles partner and India will be expected to beat their opponents .
The same is not true for their female counterparts. China will be without Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei, but world number 8 Han Yue, world number 9 Wang Zhi Yi and world number 15 Zhang Yi Man could be strong opponents for Chaliha and Kharb.
China will also be without their top doubles pair, but world number 4 Liu Sheng Shu and Tan Ning will be tough opponents.
Article Keywords: India, Asian Team Championships 2024, PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty
