The top two doubles pairings and double Olympic champion P V Sindhu have chosen not to compete in the Uber Cup, while a formidable men’s squad will defend their title in the Thomas Cup.
The top two doubles pairings and double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu have chosen not to compete in the Uber Cup; however, a formidable men’s team will defend their championship in the Thomas Cup, which starts in Chengdu on April 27. With six events under her belt since making a comeback at the Badminton Asia Team Championships in February, Sindhu withdrew from the competition in order to allow herself more time to heal and prepare for the Paris Olympics.
Leading women’s doubles pairings, Ashwini Ponnappa and Tanisha Crasto, and Treesa Jolly-Gayatri Gopichand, also withdrew since Sindhu’s absence left their squad short of strength. In an effort to qualify for the Olympics, they decided to concentrate on the other tasks.
The Badminton Association of India (BAI) chose to award the players who competed at the Senior National Championships with the India cap after Sindhu and the two pairs withdrew.
“Sindhu opted out as she is coming back from an injury and she wants to give herself enough time to prepare for Paris Games where she will hope to win another medal for the country,” Sanjay Mishra, BAI secretary, told PTI
“The doubles pairs also decided to skip the event as they too have been playing a lot of tournaments and want to focus on their qualification, so we have rewarded the semifinalists of the national championships by including them in the team.” India are the Thomas Cup defending champions, having won the epic title in 2022. The selectors decided to field a solid team with a balanced mix of youth and experience.
The Indian men’s team made history in Thailand by defeating Indonesia 3-0 in the final to win their first Thomas Cup title.
Given the demanding schedules of all players this season, the senior selection committee opted to provide more singles choices.
Kiran George will join HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, and Priyanshu Rajawat on a 10-player Thomas Cup team, while Sai Pratheek will be the backup doubles player to the two first-choice combinations, World No. 1 pair Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty and MR Arjun and Dhruv Kapila..
The Thomas Cup squad was decided after an online meeting of the selection committee, which included Chief National Coach Pulella Gopichand, former India players U Vimal Kumar, Jwala Gutta, Manjusha Kanwar, Partho Ganguly, and Mallika Baruah Sarma.
“The committee felt we needed to have one additional player in the singles, while in doubles they have picked top two pairs and Sai Pratheek is selected as an additional doubles player after consultation with Mathias Boe (Danish doubles coach) just in case somebody is not fully fit or needs recovery,” Mishra went on to say.
After elite players in both singles and doubles withdrew from the Uber Cup, the selectors opted to give rookies a chance.
Anmol Kharab, India’s next badminton sensation, will be closely observed on the big stage alongside Ashmita Chaliha and Tanvi Sharma in the singles.
“The Uber Cup team also appears to be in terrific shape, with young, talented players. I wish them the best of luck and hope they make the nation proud with their achievements.” Thomas Cup roster: HS Prannoy, Lakshya Sen, Kidambi Srikanth, Priyanshu Rajawat, and Kiran George (singles); Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, MR Arjun, Dhruv Kapila, and Sai Pratheek (doubles). Uber Cup roster: (singles) Anmol Kharb, Tanvi Sharma, Ashmita Chaliha, and Isharani Baruah; (doubles) Shruti Mishra, Priya Konjengbam, Simran Singhi, and Ritika Thaker.
