Satwik-Chirag team leads Indian challenge at Singapore Open; Prannoy, Lakshya, Sindhu also in fray
Now fully fit, the Indian team, which reached the semifinals of Malaysia Open and India Open earlier this year, will open against Malaysia's Choong Hon Jian and Muhammad Haikal.
The former world number one duo last played at the All England Championships in March but withdrew in the second round due to Chirag's back injury. They also pulled out of the Sudirman Cup because of Satwik's health issues.
Singapore, May 26 (PTI) The celebrated pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will make a much-anticipated return to elite competition after shaking off fitness concerns when the duo leads a star-studded Indian challenge at the Singapore Open Super 750 tournament starting here on Tuesday.
By reaching the finals of last week's Malaysia Masters, Kidambi Srikanth managed to lift himself and the overall gloom that had set over Indian badminton in the past few months.
He broke the pattern of India's singles players largely failing to make a deep run in the tournaments week after week for the past few months. Though he won't be competing this week, he will serve as an inspiration for his compatriots as they fight it out at the USD 1,000,000 event.
HS Prannoy, a 2023 World Championships bronze-medallist who witnessed the rampaging run of Srikanth at Kuala Lumpur, will look to produce a similarly gritty show when he begins his campaign against Denmark's Rasmus Gemke. Pranniy is on a comeback trail after battling chikungunya last year.
The 32-year-old, who has been bogged down by fitness issues and the after-effects of the illness, showed promise against Japan's Kenta Nishimoto last week but fell to Yushi Tanaka in the second round.
Lakshya Sen will look to silence doubts about his fitness when he faces Lin Chun-Yi in the opening round.
The 23-year-old from Almora, a 2021 World Championships bronze-medallist, has struggled to find form since reaching the Paris Olympics semifinal.
Sen's four first-round exits this season are concerning for a player seen as a future leader of Indian badminton after Srikanth and Prannoy.
Similarly, Priyanshu Rajawat, 23, has tested the patience of Indian fans with six first-round exits.
Known for his immaculate hand-eye coordination and attacking style, Rajawat now faces pressure to deliver but he can take a cue from academy mate Srikanth, who also trains in Hyderabad.
Kiran George, 25, has also failed to live up to expectations. After reaching the India Open quarterfinal earlier this year, he has not capitalised on his chances. He opens against China's Weng Hong Yang.
Sindhu leads women's challenge ===================== In women's singles, PV Sindhu remains a work in progress. Despite multiple coaching changes, consistent deep runs have eluded the two-time Olympic medallist.
The 29-year-old suffered a hamstring injury during training in Guwahati in February, forcing her to miss the Asia Team Championships.
Since returning, she has faced early defeats against players such as Thuy Linh Nguyen, Putri Kusuma Wardani, and Kim Gaeun.
Sindhu, a former world champion, will face Canada's Wen Yu Zhang in the first round.
Other Indian women's players face tough draws.
Anmol Kharb takes on former Olympic champion Chen Yu Fei of China, while Aakarshi Kashyap will be up against third seed Han Yue.
Malvika Bansod faces Thailand's Supanida Katethong and Rakshita Ramraj square off against South Korea's Kim Ga Eun.
Anupama Upadhaya plays Chinese Taipei's Sung Shuo Yun, while Unnati Hooda will face second seed Wang Zhiyi, the Malaysia Masters champion.
India's top-ranked women's doubles pair Treesa Jolly and Gayatri Gopichand, seeded eighth, will play Chinese Taipei's Chang Ching Hui and Yang Ching Tun.
The Mixed doubles pairs — Dhruv Kapila/Tanisha Crasto and Rohan Kapoor/Ruthvika Shivani Gadde — are also in the fray. PTI ATK PM ATK PM PM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
23 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Suruchi aims for golden repeat in Munich
New Delhi: Not many professional shooters describe their process as succinctly as Suruchi Phogat. The latest 10m air pistol sensation to emerge from domestic ranges couldn't care less about techniques such as visualisation or meditation or even the flow state that shooters fret over. Neither does she bother about shooting against Olympic medallists or much-accomplished competitors. 'It's simple. I just pick up the gun and shoot. It's not a very complicated sport,' she said when asked to explain her process. One may be tempted to attribute her assessment to inexperience at the elite level, but the results belie any trace of fluke or complacency. Four medals from her first two senior World Cups in Buenos Aires and Lima this April, including three gold, underscore her growing prowess and the 19-year-old will be the one to watch out for when she takes aim at the Munich World Cup from June 8. 'Shooting always felt natural to me. Somehow, I have never had to try extra hard to nail good scores. I hit 580-585 in training which is usually enough to put me in the finals,' she said. 'In the finals though, I sometimes tend to shoot a little below par which is one area I am working on and would like to get better in this World Cup. The Indian shooting contingent had a two-week training camp at the Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range in New Delhi where the shooters honed their skills ahead of year's third senior rifle/pistol World Cup. The 23-member squad is headlined by Olympic medallists Swapnil Kusale and Manu Bhaker. Besides Bhaker, Suruchi will be accompanied by 19-year-old Asian Games gold medallist Palak Gulia in the 10m event. After the golden harvest in South America, Suruchi will be expected to give a good account of herself in Germany where the competition is going to be sterner with reigning Olympic champion, South Korea's Oh Yejin, in contention. 'The South American leg didn't offer a very tough test, but in Munich, almost all top shooters will participate. It will be an exciting challenge,' said Suruchi. 'And as far as expectations go, I feel 0.01% pressure on match days. My entire focus is on my shooting.' 'My biggest strength is that I don't think too much. Even on match days, my mornings are relaxed and easy. I just try to execute whatever I do in training. It doesn't matter who is shooting next to me. The target is same for everyone,' she added, emphasising that her mindset has barely changed since the time she swept the individual events (junior, youth, senior) at National Championships late last year and followed it up with success at this year's National Games. The twin success at World Cups has brought a lot of attention to Suruchi's unassuming family in Haryana's Sasroli village. Jhajjar district, known for producing quality wrestlers, has lapped up its latest shooting star and Suruchi is still a little wonderstruck with all the adulation. 'We are simple people who live in a humble house in the fields. When I returned from South America, there were a lot of high-profile people who turned up every day to meet me. I felt a little embarrassed because we don't have any luxuries to offer our guests. It's a very humbling experience,' she said.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
India yet to take a call on which three Tests Bumrah will play
The Indian team management is yet to decide which three Tests Jasprit Bumrah will feature in the upcoming five-match series in England, but head coach Gautam Gambhir and newly-appointed captain Shubman Gill made it clear that there's enough depth in its pace attack. 'We haven't taken that call, which three games is he going to play,' Gambhir said on Thursday. 'We are going to have a discussion with him and (it will) depend on the series as well. A lot will depend on the results of the series, where the series is heading. That is something which I am sure he is very well aware of as well and that is important.' Fitness worry While announcing the squad last month, the chairman of the selection committee, Ajit Agarkar, said that Bumrah had been advised by medical staff not to risk playing back-to-back Tests as part of his workload management in the wake of him breaking down during the fifth Test against Australia in Sydney in January. But Gambhir believes that this will also be an opportunity for the rest of the pace attack, comprising Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh and Shardul Thakur to stand up and deliver. 'I have said it before during the Champions Trophy (which Bumrah missed) as well, it will give someone the opportunity to put his hand up and we have got enough talent there. I know that he is quality but we have got enough quality apart from him as well in the squad.' WTC cycle Under the leadership of Gill, the five Tests against England will be India's first in the 2025-27 World Test Championship cycle, and the young captain believes that there's enough firepower in the bowling department. 'We have picked enough bowlers and we have a good enough pace battery and a lot of fast bowlers are in a great space to be able to win us Test matches from any situation or any position,' Gill said.
The Hindu
33 minutes ago
- The Hindu
We have a perfect mix of experience and talent: Gill
As he gears up for his maiden Test series as the captain of the Indian team, Shubman Gill knows that he has big shoes to fill in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, who retired from the format recently. But the youngster is looking forward to the challenge. 'The pressure is there on every tour. These (Kohli and Rohit) were two big players who had won so many matches for India, so it is difficult to fill their shoes. But the pressure is no different, and we are all used to playing in pressure situations and are aware of how to win,' Gill said on Thursday. 'The batting and bowling combination in our team is very good. We have a perfect mix of experience and talent.' Having led the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League over the last couple of seasons, Gill understands that a clear communication with the players is the key to success. 'I wouldn't say that there is a particular style that I would like to follow, but the more you play, the more experience you get. I like communicating with the players, making them feel secure and providing them that comfort. Building a bond with the players is very important, and if you are the captain of a team, you have to do this,' Gill said, adding: 'If your players feel very secure, then only they can give you their 100 per cent.' Leading up to the series, he practised with Dukes ball on the sidelines of the IPL. However, he has yet to decide his batting position. 'We have a tour match in London, so we still have time to decide on the batting order,' he said. Coach Gautam Gambhir, however, admitted that the pressure always mounts up ahead of every series because the goal remains to win. The series will also see the return of Karun Nair, and Gambhir admitted that if one performs well in domestic cricket, the doors of the national team are never shut. Asked whether Shreyas Iyer could be called up, the coach said, 'Anyone can be called if they are in good form.'
