New Delhi: Two-time Olympics medallist PV Sindhu and Paris Olympics semifinalist Lakshya Sen will lead a 14-member strong Indian team in the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships to be played in Qingdao, China from February 11-16. India bagged a bronze medal in the last edition of the championships held in Dubai in 2023 and will be hoping to change the colour in their latest outing.
The national selectors have given importance to the world rankings and current form of the players while selecting the squad that will have H.S. Prannoy and Malvika Bansod as the second men’s and women’s singles players, respectively.
“The Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championships is a prestigious event where the depth and quality of teams are tested. We did well by winning the bronze medal two years ago, but the target this year is to reach the finals, and then anything is possible, and we will go all out,” said Badminton Association of India (BAI) secretary general Sanjay Mishra.
India also have a strong outfit in doubles, with the former World No.1 combination of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty leading the men’s doubles charge, while the women’s doubles duties will be shouldered by the young duo of Gayatri Gopichand and Treesa Jolly or Olympians Ashwini Ponnappa, and Tanisha Crasto.
Tanisha will also have the responsibility of playing mixed doubles alongside Dhruv Kapila with Sathish Kumar K and Adya Variyath being the second combination in the squad.
The tournament will be played in two stages: the Stage (qualifying stage), where there will be a round-robin within groups, and the knockout stage. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage.
Each tie shall be decided by the results of two singles and three doubles matches. In the group stage, all five matches of each tie shall be played. In the knockout stage, each tie shall be stopped when the tie is decided. No player shall play more than two matches in a tie. Each team must nominate a minimum of four players for each tie (two men and two women).
A draw of the knockout stage will be made after the completion of the last match of the group stage or when the final tie is conclusively decided.
India’s campaign in the last edition of the Badminton Asia Mixed Team Championship ended with a 2-3 loss to China in the semifinals and they returned home with a first-ever medal — a bronze — from the continental tournament.
India squad:
Men: Lakshya Sen, HS Prannoy, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Chirag Shetty, Dhruv Kapila, MR Arjun, Sathish Kumar K
Women: PV Sindhu, Malvika Bansod, Gayatri Gopichand, Treesa Jolly, Ashwini Ponnappa, Tanisha Crasto, Adya Variyath
(IANS)
