India Faces Tough Challenge at Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships Without PV Sindhu

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Posted by NewAdmin on 2025-02-11 08:52:49 |

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India faces a challenging task at theBadminton Asia Mixed Team Championships, starting in Qingdao, China, onTuesday, with the absence of an injured PV Sindhu. Sindhu, who played a pivotalrole in securing India’s bronze medal in the last edition in Dubai two yearsago, will be sorely missed due to a hamstring injury sustained during apre-tournament training camp in Guwahati on February 4. As a result, the teamwill look to make do without her in their quest for an elusive gold medal.

With Sindhu out, world No. 29 MalvikaBansod will be expected to step up in the women's singles category. India,placed in Group D, will begin their campaign against Macau on Wednesday,followed by a match with a strong Korean team on Thursday. A top-two finish inthe group will ensure a place in the quarterfinals, and while advancing to thelast eight seems likely, reaching further stages will require exceptionalperformances from the team.

India has never won the gold at theAsia Mixed Team Championships, but they have had notable success in other teamevents, including mixed team gold and silver at the Commonwealth Games in 2018and 2022. They also achieved a historic first Thomas Cup gold in 2022, silverat the 2024 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Malaysia, and a men’s silverat the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The Indian squad includes key playersfrom these victories, such as HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Ashwini Ponnappa,Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, and Chirag Shetty. These players will be crucial inthe team's performance, with high expectations on the men's singles and doublesevents. However, Prannoy has been dealing with injuries since returning toaction post-Olympics, while Syed Modi champion Lakshya has faced someearly-round exits this season and will need to find his form quickly.

India also has a strong presence inwomen’s doubles, with Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly breaking into the top10 after a successful run that included winning their first Super 300 title inLucknow. Ponnappa, who previously competed at the Paris Olympics alongsideTanisha Crasto, will bring experience to the team. Ponnappa and Crasto recentlywon the Guwahati Masters Super 100 title and will look to build on that successin the tournament.

The mixed doubles pair of SathishKarunakaran and Aadya Variyath will also bring confidence after winning gold atthe National Games in Dehradun earlier this month.

In the last three editions of thetournament, China won the title in 2023 and 2019, while Japan took thechampionship in the inaugural edition in 2017. The event was not held in 2021due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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