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India's Badminton Queens Face Uphill Battle Without Sindhu
2 Feb
Summary
- India's women's team seeks title defence without star PV Sindhu.
- Youngsters Tanvi Sharma and Unnati Hooda step up for the women's team.
- The men's team features a strong core including Lakshya Sen and Srikanth.
India's women's team faces a formidable task defending their Badminton Asia Team Championships title in Qingdao, China, starting Tuesday. The absence of their talisman, PV Sindhu, due to a niggle, significantly impacts their prospects after their historic maiden gold win in the previous edition.
With PV Sindhu sidelined, the responsibility falls on a young contingent led by 17-year-old Tanvi Sharma, a silver medallist at the World Junior Championships. Eighteen-year-old Unnati Hooda, who reached a career-best ranking of World No. 23, also brings strong form, having notably defeated Sindhu previously.
The men's team, a bronze medallist in 2016 and 2020, appears more robust. They retain the core group that secured the historic Thomas Cup gold in 2022. World No. 13 Lakshya Sen will spearhead the team, supported by former World No. 1 Kidambi Srikanth and HS Prannoy, all seasoned world championship medallists.
In the doubles arena, Commonwealth Games bronze medallists Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly will lead the women, while the formidable pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty anchors the men's doubles. The tournament, commencing on Tuesday, will see both Indian teams vying for success against strong continental opposition.
